I Wanted to Be a Parent for the French Fries

With nine nieces and nephews, I've watched my siblings happily eat the leftovers off their children's plates for years. And now as a parent myself, I get to enjoy this treat of eating food that adults really don't order (but wish we did. I mean, who doesn't love a basket of chicken tenders and fries?!).

So if we go out, I order a healthy salad and then feel guilt free when I inhale handfuls of fries and a chicken nugget or two. It's quite a wonderful set-up. It's like that little gift we get for being parents.  We get to dedicate our lives to shaping these little people to be good citizens. And we in turn get fries, nuggets, pizza and goldfish. Seems fair.

But my son has now out smarted me. On a recent trip to McDonald's he held the container of fries in his right hand, the hand farthest from where I was sitting. If I reached for one, he casually just stared at me, pulled his hand back, then dreamily looked out the window while devouring fries. And this includes me having to watch him dip the fries in ketchup and suck the ketchup off, leaving the limp fry, now inedible, sitting on the tray.  

Naturally, I was disappointed because I had built my salad lunch around the fries -- yes, I'm one of those types of people. The person who will eat pizza, but with a Diet Coke. Who will eat fries, but when the entree is a salad. (I'm aware of how ludicrous this is, but I just can't stop).  But, you'll be pleased to know that I did the adult thing. I let him have his fries and I got a small order of fries for myself.  And just as we settled in to sitting across  the table eating fries together, what happens? The little fry hoarder gets up, walks over to my side of the booth, climbs in and takes my fries.  I was in such shock when he just started eating the fries from my container -- while still holding his fries in the other hand -- that I just laughed and then he laughed and it was a great memory made.  Now mind you, I'm totally not sharing my fries in the future.