Ah, dinner at the Burke household always hectic. See the whole family is what you would call "quirky" we all have little pet peeves and we are all most neurotic about food, and the setting in which we eat it. Cody does not like many foods that comprise our food pyramid ( is it still a pyramid? I thought maybe it changed to a plate?). Until very recently he would only eat chicken nuggets and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. If I put a healthy meal in front of him he would look at with disdain most reserve for lepers.As he has matured his attitude toward food as adjusted too but he still is very particular about textures and will not most soups or, mushy soft foods. More than eating the food he is particular about how he eats it and when. Meals must be served at the same time everyday. I pity the fool who wakes him up and does not have a plate of food waiting for him. He also likes the same cup and plate, if you give someones else his Charlie Brown mug or his sectioned off Halloween plate the meal is sure to be doomed.
Our eating arrangement's became a little more complicated recently when two of our four chairs broke (all in the same day when I got stuck outside taking down Christmas decorations and had too have Colton lower me down chairs from the kitchen window in an effort to hoist myself up through the window. I got back in but two chairs gave their lives for the effort.) so that leaves two chairs for a family of five. It is always poor Colton left standing because, well he is the only one who will allow it. Cody would stare catatonic at his food unable to fathom a world where eating while STANDING was acceptable. Cullen is too short and I feel like he would be the same as Cody unable to cope with an upright meal. Colton is jut an easy going little guy he can generally go with the flow and adjusts to lives little changes admirably. Cody and Cullen feel change is unacceptable and must be fought kicking and screaming the whole way.
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The whole situation got me think how there are two types of people. people who adjust to the world so that it makes it easier on the world, and people who want the world to adjust to them so that the world is easier for them. I will give you a real world example: at my job people often have to sign one of those automated signature pads for various reasons, The device was made so that a person of average height standing can easily see the information and sign. Now there are many people who approach on those motorized scooters provided for handicapped shoppers(and some non-handicapped). The signing pad twas not designed with these people in mind, the angle is all wrong and it makes signing extremely difficult. Now I have seen several approaches to the problem.The most logical to me is to get out of the chair and stand briefly to sign the device. Now not all people are this logical, one poor woman craned her head and arms around in a motion Cirque-du-soleil would be proud of so that she could better fit around the device to sign (fitting yourself to the world) and another woman simply lifted the device of its hinges so that she could lift it up and see and sign easier (fitting the world to yourself).
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The book that opened my eyes
I recently read a book that changed my life called Quiet.It is about introverts in an extrovert world. My favorite part is when she discusses how forced brain storming actually leads to fewer productive ideas. I can tell you how many times in high school I rolled my eyes when the teacher said " Lets put our desks in a circle and brainstorm" ugg It was always the most loud and obnoxious classmates who got their ideas across. I would sit and stew about how unfair this was and If I was louder more gregarious my ideas and opinions would be heard. The same thing as happened to me in the workplace I once had a job where the head manager just did not like me because as she put it I was "just too damn mousy and quiet". There would be people who got promoted ahead of me not because there work was better but because they were just louder about the work they did. But I digress... |
My original point being that in a family full of individual quirks and pet peeves to the extreme I have to try and move the world to fit my boys and move my boys so that fit better in the world. So I end with a question, which is better an what do you do,
