How terrible am I?
The other night, after dinner out at Stout’s, Steve decided we should stop by the grocery store and pick up some ice cream for dessert. I wasn’t in the mood for ice cream and told Steve I thought I’d just have a piece of cheesecake.
See, I had bought a cheesecake earlier in the week and hadn’t eaten any yet. I had had oral surgery and my mouth was sore for days (yea Vicodin!). The kids had a piece after dinner one night but I knew most of it should still be left. (foreshadowing here)
So, Steve and the kids picked up ice cream and I picked up some cherry topping - for my cheesecake - and we all headed home.
At home, everyone starts enjoying their ice cream and I open my cherry topping and head for the fridge to get the cheesecake. Only…..there’s no cheesecake.
Gone. All of it. 12 pieces. Not a crumb remaining.
Where had it gone? My gluttonous children had devoured it. April had eaten FOUR pieces and Jon had eaten SIX pieces. The other 2 missing pieces had been eaten by Steve.
Sadness.
So, no cheesecake for me. Fast forward to last night at dinnertime.
We eat dinner together pretty much every night. At the end of the meal, the kids (mostly) ask to be excused from the table.
Last night I refused to excuse first Jon then April. They were somewhat confused by this unusual refusal to let them leave the table so I explained that I had purchased CHEESECAKE for dessert (snickering under my breath at my nefarious plans to taunt them…).
I rose from the table and retrieved the cheesecake and the cherry topping and proceeded to plate a piece for myself. Then I sat back down and began eating it with much gusto. I accompanied each bite with exclamations like “mmmm” and “ohhhhh” and “this is so good”.
The children cried “Don’t we get a piece?” and I reminded them that they had eaten their cheesecake already and continued to “mmmmm” and “ohhhh” as I slowly ate my piece of cheesecake a la When Harry Met Sally.
I must say that April and Jon were good sports about the teasing/torture and were actually laughing each time I ooh’d or mmm’d.
I mentioned this story to someone today and their response kind of shocked me. I thought it was funny. They acted like I had emotionally abused the children.
What do you think? Also, I did let them have a piece of cheesecake after I enjoyed mine if that will sway your opinion to my side.
on July 29th, 2008 at 6:21 pm
Eating cheesecake in front of your kids, playfully, while they watched, and after they’d eaten the last cheesecake without saving you any, and then you let them have some of the next one anyway? And they were laughing?
Emotional abuse? Bah.
But now I want cheesecake.
on July 29th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
I have to say that I never got to the part about the kids laughing before Judy McJudgy had her horror face on. Then when I did say they were laughing she put her skeptical face on. Clearly we will not become close friends. But really, who wants a friend named Judy McJudgy?
Also? Mmmmm, cheesecake :-)
on July 30th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
Pfft. Emotional abuse?
Okay, if they had been angrily or sadistically told to sit at the table, and there were tears and crying and (most importantly) no past cheesecake offenses, and this was something done REGULARLY, that is probably emotional abuse.
Eating cheesecake in front of those who ate your cheesecake when they have no cheesecake? To the sound of laughter? Not emotional abuse. Actually, it sounds like something any of the rest of us (siblings) would do to the other, if it were allowed. Of course, we may just be suffering the after-effects of the emotional abuse. *shrug*