This week gardener and writer Debbie Webber deals with a some newly formed bad habits from the three-year-old with a wandering finger...
Apparently there are good habits and bad ones. While sitting at my desk I have been trying to work out what bad habits I have. I'm not perfect but I can't think of any.
To me, all habits are good because mostly they are convenient and make our busy lives easier. The short cut across the grass, leaving hair to dry naturally instead of blow drying it, all come about because I'm lazy and it's convenient.
Not so with children. With them habits are all about pleasure but it is while they are in the throes of this new found routine the pleasure is all theirs.
Like nose picking.My three-year-old hasn't just discovered his nose. They've been friends for a long time. Quite often his finger can be seen having a borrow, which is not nice for the rest of us but at least we can ignore it.
Not now though. Now he has progressed onto...well, it makes me feel a bit nauseous to type this, but he's progressed onto eating the contents of his nose.
The other day we were doing one of our interminable school runs which he usually complains all the way through. I don't blame him, they're not my favourite activity either.
This time it was silent in the back, which was quite nice. How lovely, I thought. He's not complaining, just watching the world go by from his elevated spot like his sister.
"That was tasty," he said.
"What was?" I asked, puzzled because I don't like them eating in the car. There's the mess not to mention choking hazards.
"My nose," came the triumphant reply.
Ugh. He has been a bit of a pickle about eating at the moment so is obviously looking at other sources for nutrition.
I'm going to do my best to ignore it, as giving him attention only seems to fuel the habit.
It is hard though, especially when he stops in the school playground, while we're surrounded by lots of yummy mummies, and plops out a juicy specimen which he proceeds to.....no, it's no good, I can't write it. Let's just say there are lots of "mmmmm" noises (not from me though).
I read last week it takes 66 days to form a new habit. I don't reckon that's right where children are concerned. I think it's just a matter of mere minutes.