Hangry

If you look up the definition of “hangry” in a dictionary, you will probably find a picture of my husband and children next to it.  Long before I was a mom I always carried snacks around in my purse in an effort to avoid hangry encounters with my husband.  As someone who does not suffer from hanger, it was amazing to me to see how a normally calm and rational individual can become belligerent over the course of just a few minutes and then almost instantly transform back to normal after ingesting some calories.  The other mind-boggling aspect to this disease is that the afflicted individual doesn’t notice that s/he is hungry or think, “Hey, I’m acting a little crazy and this has happened before.  Maybe I should eat something and see if I feel better.”  No, instead they are completely dependent on someone who knows them to recognize what is going on and tell them, “Eat!”

Unfortunately, this trait seems to be hereditary and all three of my children also suffer from hanger.  The most stressful part of my day is the thirty minutes between when I walk in the door from work and when we sit down at the table for dinner.  Tonight was no exception: my son was firing Magnatile missiles at his sister who was roaring back at him like a lion while their other sister was sprawled across the kitchen floor crying because I couldn’t hold her and cook at the same time and my husband was grumbling aloud about having too many kids.

Somehow dinner got done.  Somehow I got everyone to the table.  And then, like a miracle, everyone started eating and transformed back into the family I love.  My kids  played together happily most of the night.  My husband was cheerful and talkative.  I was left considering how things went from bad to good so quickly, although I knew the answer: food.

So tomorrow, please, eat a snack before I get home so we don’t have to do that again!