Cornflakes

Food is... tricky. It's hot, or cold. Yucky. Watery. Slimy. It has skin.

I hate mealtimes. They take ages, and make me feel horrible all over. I want to run away.

Saturday breakfast is different. Easy. I bounce out of bed. Smile to the table.

Oh, no. My cornflakes taste wrong.

New mum is Strict. Doesn't matter if something tastes bad, you got to eat it anyway.

Grown-ups tut "so picky" and "so slow". I feel small. Tummy growls. The milk is lumpy. I eat another flake.

They sigh. "Why didn't you say the milk was off?!"

Off where?

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Thank you for reading! Please note all engagement is evaluated, and then - once authenticated - appreciated and reciprocated 😁

If you are interested in the story behind the story: this one is true and it happened to me! This is a memory that has stayed with me all my life. Picky kids aren't just being difficult, I swear. Most of us do grow out of it. This was a powerful life lesson for me, in the ways adults overlook children's perspectives and inadvertantly teach them not to listen to their body and their instincts. I'd never tasted off milk before. I had no idea that there was something wrong with it and the adults didn't know. Prior experience had taught me that if I said something tasted horrible I'd get shouted at and made to eat it anyway. Be kind to your kids, people!

My questions to you: Were you a picky eater as a child? Were your parents strict? What impact did that have on you? What are your food-based memories?

Here come the recommendations! If you enjoyed that, try my last micro entry:

If you prefer something a little longer, and more light hearted: