Starving!

Pierce is my skinny child.  Skinny primarily because he is not a good eater.  He particularly dislikes anything served to him around 6:00 pm.  Because he is such a poor eater, he frequently exclaims, “I’m SO SUPER STARVING!” (emphasis on “so,” emphasis on “super,” emphasis on “starving”).  Lately, I have felt that I am hearing this expression FAR too often.  The expression annoys me on two levels: one, the most obvious, being that he wouldn’t be so super starving if he would just eat the fresh, healthy food I serve him four times a day; and two, because the word “starving” itself just bothers me.  He’s not starving.  Nor am I or anyone we know.  We are hungry.  Children in the third world who eat one nutrient-poor meal a day are starving.  We are just hungry.  Maybe even VERY hungry, but certainly not starving.

So, when Lent began four weeks ago, I was trying to think of simple things Pierce and Sydney could do or give up during Lent.  For Pierce, it came to me like a flash of lightning!  He needed to give up the word “starving” out of respect for those poor children who actually are starving.  So, I gently approached him with the idea.  I explained to him that we were all going to make one small change in our lives during Lent, and asked if he would try to stop using the word “starving,” and instead replace it with the word “hungry”.  He said, sure, and we practiced together saying, “I’m SO SUPER H-U-N-G-R-Y!”  We both laughed and I figured his Lenten pledge would last about five minutes.  But, let me tell you, Pierce William has hardly used the word “starving” in four weeks!  I caught him once or twice early on and kindly corrected him, he grinned and switched out the word, like it was a game.  Since those first few corrections, he has been awesome!  In fact, he caught me TWICE this week using that word to describe my own hunger (in my defense I am nursing and feel SO SUPER HUNGRY many many many times a day!).  He corrected me, saying, “Mommy, you are NOT starving, you’re hungry.  Don’t use that word.”

I am so proud of him.  He is the only one in the family really following through with his Lenten promise.  This was the perfect choice for him and for us as a family, since Lent is a time for a renewed focus on charity, among other things.  Every time I feel SO SUPER HUNGRY, or Pierce exclaims his hunger, I reflect on those who really are hungry and am reminded of how plentiful our lives are and how we need to always pray for and help those who aren’t.   Thanks Pierce!