Whoever would have thought that a child’s personality would be reflected in the way he likes his sandwiches cut?
My 10-year-old always liked her sandwiches cut into triangles: sometimes two, but most of the time, four.
My 8 had her unwavering preference of four squares. Always.
My 6 wanted triangles, too. Every once in a distant while he didn’t want his sandwich cut at all — just one big square — but for the most part, it was triangles.
Then came my 4…easygoing, happy go lucky, charming. Sometimes he wanted squares, sometimes triangles. Sometimes, when I asked (because I must since he never wanted the same thing) “Do you want four squares, or four triangles?” He would answer, “Um…four circles.”
He was serious. It always made me laugh. I actually went ahead and met his request for circles but decided it sacrificed too much of the sandwich to do so.
One day I asked again, and he said, “Squares,” so I made the first of two cuts, making two rectangles. Then he came back into the kitchen and said, “I mean, triangles.” Sigh. “You have to make up your mind, honey. I already cut two rectangles. Well, I’ll just make them right triangles.” Like he understood that. He had already fled the kitchen.
After cutting the first rectangle into 2 right triangles, he ran back into the room to say, “I mean, squares.” After the split second of disbelief and frustration with his indecisiveness, I cut the remaining rectangle into two squares. Now he had the best of both worlds.
This scenario wasn’t too frustrating, and I’ll tell you why: Abe is carefree, jovial, sometimes indecisive. And he does not change his mind to cause me grief. I realize it is just a sandwich. He can have it however he wants it, as long as he eats it.
All of the above took place four years ago. I found the story in my journal.
Well, our youngest is now a 4-year-old who is all about four triangles for his sandwiches…unless it’s a bologna sandwich, which he does not like cut at all: he likes that sandwich and only that sandwich as one big square. More idiosyncrasies, right? I love it! Since his older four siblings are…..well, older, I don’t get the chance so often to remember how they like their sandwiches.
Squares, triangles, circles, trapezoids, whatever. If being given a choice about their sandwiches gives my kids any warm reflections on their childhoods, no sweat. I’d be cutting (or not cutting) the sandwiches anyway.
© Alexa Lopez 2007
