Friday, March 27, 2009

Are kids wired to like pickles? (And other deep thoughts on habits kids pick up from parents)



I'm glad I shared Max's birth story this week. It was draining, but it was comforting to know that many of you relate to what I've been through, and that I've helped to raise awareness about pediatric stroke.

We now return to our regularly scheduled programming.

Sabrina is in this interesting phase where she wants pickles for her bedtime snack. She's always loved them. I have, too, since I was a kid. We often have to split the one that comes with my dinner at a restaurant, with her making sure that my half is not larger than hers.

Max, meanwhile, seems to have acquired one of Dave's quirky habits. The other week, before Max drifted off to sleep, I noticed him running one hand up and down a forearm, the exact thing Dave absentmindedly does sometimes when he's just lying around, relaxing.

Have your kids picked up any particular habits or mannerisms from you?

BTW, I just got a printable Borders coupon good for 40 percent off one item at the store this weekend, it's here if you'd like it.

6 comments:

  1. I definitely do think that little apples do not fall far from the tree. Buster holds his hands exactly like his daddy did when he was waiting on something--like dinner or to be handed something. It's like he's a little xerox of his daddy.

    You have to wonder what relatives, from generations past, we're all imitating with all of our little quirks, don't you? Is that habit of cracking your neck something that great-great grandma used to do? Is that absent-minded finger tapping something that great-great-great grampa drove the family crazy doing?

    I know Buster couldn't have learned that twitchy little hand habit from his daddy, because his daddy has been gone for a long while, and it's only in the last year or so that we've noticed Buster doing it. It's like it's a hard-wired, genetic thing, not something that's come from imitation. There are other things he does that remind us of his daddy, too--the way he tilts his head when he's concentrating on something, or the way he stretches out with his little feet up when he's watching tv. Funny, the things that get passed on...!

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  2. I do not know why, but my son is crazy for beef and white bread. Some kids will only eat minced meat or nuggets but mine demands steak, accompanied by huge amounts of fresh French baguette. This is the exact same thing my husband will eat (healthy, eh?), and I don't know how the kid picked that up since my husband works shifts and we rarely have a family dinner. Must be true what they say about kids "inheriting" stuff from their parents: it's not what you do but who you are.

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  3. Emmett (age 2) and I like things to be quiet and slow in the morning. He and I will sit together, quite happily, sipping coffee (mine) and milk (his), just vegging out.

    Violet and my husband bounce out of bed saying, "What are we going to do today?!?!" And then they talk and talk and talk. This makes Emmett and I cringe.

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  4. Yes, I think kids are wired to like pickles! One day when Daniel was two years old, I let him pick out a treat at the store for having an awesome day at therapy. I expected him to choose a piece of candy or a matchbox car, but he instead chose a big jar of pickles. He proudly handed it to the cashier, and he ate half of the pickles that day.
    As for habits, Dan (Daddy) always took things apart to see how they worked when he was a child. The problem is that he didn't know how to put them back together. Daniel definitely got that habit from his daddy. Case in point: my vacuum was in pieces last week after Daniel got into Daddy's tools and decided to "fix" it for me. It took Dan a good hour to put the thing back together.

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  5. Kasia has inherited my love of anything and everything sweet and her father's love of cleaning.

    Her favorite gift from from her 3rd birthday was a set of tiny cleaning tools - mop, broom, dust pan, vacuum and apron. We laughed at the fact that they all had "misprinted" stickers on them that said "Just Like Mom".

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  6. Oh yes, I remember Ellen and how she loved her pickles!! I forgot which are her favorites - the B&G kosher dill or the Batampte half sour. If my future son or daughter takes after their Daddy, they will love pizza and if they take after their mommy, they will love coffee, chocolate and black licorice (not all to be consumed together!!).

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Thanks for sharing!