Perception is Reality

I have decided that it is time for me to coin a new phrase. I did it a long time ago and it never caught on. So, here I am trying again to get the American public to realize that they cannot live without integrating this new word phrase into their vocabulary. Come on, work with me people.

Perception Eating, verb,
Pronunciation: \pər-'sep-shən 'ēt-iŋ\
Etymology: Jewish mother
Date: 2008
Definition: When a person has a small child and the child wants to eat what is on that person’s plate even though what is on the child’s plate is exactly the same. That person, usually the child’s mother, will skillfully* take their fork and motion as if to take something from her plate and place it on her child’s plate.

*The skill is in that nothing moves plates but the child has the perception that they are eating something new and or different so they start eating again. Please be advised that this action will only last until your child figures out that you are not giving them anything new. Then all bets are off!

Abby has started to realize that our food just looks so much cooler than her food. We usually do not eat at the same time. Josh and I will do some activity, usually cleaning up, that has been temporarily interrupted by Abigail running around at our feet. So with her safely in her high chair, we usually take the time to do whatever we need to do with both hands (Even though it is amazing what you can accomplish with one hand because Abby is in the other either holding on or wanting to be picked up). So Abigail eats and then goes to bed at night. Then we take the time to ourselves and have dinner together. I know that this time is going to soon come to an end and we can eat together as a family but during the week it is almost impossible. She doesn’t have the patience to wait for me to come home and cook dinner and I don’t want to be stuck in the kitchen losing my valuable playing minutes with her.

Weekends are a little different when we, at least, have breakfast together. Of course with her having waffles and me having my bowl of low calorie cereal, she whines that she wants what I am having. Wait a minute…she has waffles. Maybe I should trade! But she isn’t quite up to having a bowl of cereal with a spoon but I am sure that skill is not to far away. So, I am stuck with my mush and she is blessed with warm waffles…I think I need to get some waffles. Anyways, I came up with the “trick” of taking my spoon out of my bowl, tapping it on her plate to draw her attention to her yummy waffles. Most of the time, she will look down, see waffles, and return to eating happily thinking, “Mommy just gave me some of her food!” WHOO HOOO! Crisis averted. Other times I just have to eat quickly and put my bowl in the sink before Mount Abigail erupts.

But more often than not, perception eating saves the day. I give her the perception that she is either eating differently, eating different foods or just getting “Moh” as she likes to say. Think this will work when she is older and asks me for money????