Habits to break

"I am SO tempted to eat one of those sausages. If I ever quit being a vegetarian, that is the first thing I'm going to eat." and she has said that about something before--but was it about Kielbasa?  Honestly, I don't have much brain space for keeping track of what anyone's theoretically likes anymore.  I'm just glad dinner will finally start, once my son finishes washing his hands.

"Have some if you like," I say.  "You could eat meat again, or if you just have some today.  Doesn't matter."

We eat in the kitchen, and my son is washing his hands at the sink, so everyone hears this.  He's close enough to done that we're waiting for him before we start eating. He loves to give this vegetarian sister a hard time.  Every other week he'll try and sneak meat onto her plate, or wave his meat-laden fork in her face, or tell her how delicious it is.   I suspect mostly he's dumbfounded by her, since he would eat only meat and bread if I'd let him.  Heck, he may think she's the reason vegetables are served, the way I have a side of something in every meal for him.

They smell SO good... and then she pops one of those sausages into her mouth.

Immediately, the other children begin crying foul. "Not enough sausages to go around," they claim. "Don't waste the sausage on the vegetarian.  She has her own food!"  Though when I produce the heart-shaped poached eggs, the first grade princess immediately asks for one.  Then I start counting out the kielbasa slices among the family members.

"Do you want more?"  I ask my vegetarian daughter.

"Nah.  I just wanted the one."

And so we settle as usual to dinner.   A little what-did-you-do-today, a little hey-she-poked-me, and all that good family stuff.

I believe this is the first time the vegetarian has eaten meat in four years, and I am curious about the coming months.  Not so much if the vegetarian will eat meat again, but if her break has broken her brother's hang-up with her diet.

Because family dinner is an ongoing dynamic, no matter what you eat.