Scolding Your Elders

I had lunch today with Andrew's dad and his Grandparents (from his mom's side.) We went to a cafe style place called Luby's, which isn't bad, but at which you can eat a lot of food. I wore my "sexy librarian glasses" cause my contacts are bugging me and I'm pretty sure that for the first thirty minutes, Andrew's 90something grandfather had no clue who I am. He often has a problem with that; he asks my sister who she is every time he sees her.

Later, as we were leaving to head back home, Andrew's grandmother wanted to buy a chocolate bar to "pay the driver"-- in other words, Andrew's dad. Who so does NOT need a giant sized chocolate bar. So I had to scold him about eating it all in one sitting. I'm one of the only people who can get away with scolding him for things like that, mostly because he knows I'm right, and I don't actually have another agenda other than trying to keep him healthy. I pointed out that on the back of that candy bar it says that there are approximately 4 servings in one bar. So four people ought to eat it, not ONE. In the space of ten minutes. Which I have seen him do.

This is the person who, when we went to London in 2002, was worried about Mad Cow disease and asked the waiter at a fancy restaurant in the theater district if the steak had mad cow. The waiter looked at me to translate cause he didn't understand Texan. This same person who was worried about the unlikely event of getting mad cow at a restaurant in London ate liver & onions today. I told him, apparently to his surprise, that it is the organ meat you have to worry about. As in, liver. If there were a big problem with mad cow in the U.S., liver would NOT be your safest bet. I think that kind of grossed him out.

But he's really got a lot more to worry about eating that giant chocolate bar.

Can you scold your parents? Do they listen to you? Or do they dismiss any knowledge you've gained merely because you were once their kid and they figure they'll always know better than you? Andrew's dad sort of likes it when I scold him; it's attention, which he hardly gets from anywhere else. But it does feel a little naggy. I don't like feeling like the proverbial fishwife yelling at her family.

So put that chocolate bar for four down now if you've eaten a quarter of it. You know you don't need an entire 6 oz of chocolate and sugar and fat in one sitting.

I'll be taking a nap now. I'm all worn out from my nagging. :)