Body snatching!

Some evil alien has crept into my house and stolen my children and left changlings in its place. Crabby, snarky, uncooperative changlings. LOL Most of it isn't major, and some of it is normal. And some of it is trauma stuff that just periodically comes back.

That would be the food hoarding. Can we all say a big ole ICK when I found a sandwich bag filled with frosting residue under a certain child's mattress? (I am frugal and so when I make frosting and there are leftovers I save them in baggies and use the bits and bobs to glaze scones or other breakfast treats. Hmmmm, guess someone will have plain ole scones this weekend. I don't yell about the hoarding. I get that it comes from dark things in the past. And that maybe I will never succeed in beating the darkness. I can push it back, I can make it smaller, I can't make it gone. Because it happened and it is part of who he is. I also found a pack of gum under his mattress. I explained to him that this was of even more concern to me. I don't know if he is chewing gum at night (perhaps while looking at the catalog he had also stashed?) I told him what I didn't want was to go open his door some morning and find out he had choked to death in his sleep because he had chosen to chew gum in bed and fallen asleep. That did seem to get his attention a bit. And it is a legitimate concern.

On the plus side he was willing to admit freely that there are snacks galore in our house. While there is always a fruit bowl on the table I have cookies, cake, ice cream or pie on deck always as well. Home made (except for the ice cream!). He was willing to agree that he always has options for things to eat and never has to go to bed hungry.

On the negative side he blamed hiding the gum on his older brother. Alleged that if he kept his snack in the snack cupboard that Chet would eat it all. I promised to discuss this with Chet who was baffled. Chet said he only had one piece of gum and that was when Rob offered him a piece. This I actually know to be true because Chet chewed the gum for more than 2 weeks, at which point I discovered he was still chewing it and made him dispose of it. (time for another big ole ICK here folks!) But we will see if he agrees to keep the gum where we keep snacks. :-)