Why You Eat Like a Kid When You Visit Your Family

There’s something about going back home for a visit with our family that gives us permission to revert to the ways of our childhood. For those of us fortunate enough to be full-grown adults and still have living parents, staying with them for a few days can be a chance to feel young again. Last week I went to see my parents in Texas for the first time in almost a year. They’ve moved out of the house I grew up in, but I’ve realized that doesn’t matter. The same photos on the wall, the same furniture, and the same warmth of family makes it clear that the house is not what makes it a home. 

Weeks before my arrival, my mom texted me, asking what I’d like to eat. “Do you need anything from the grocery store? Bananas, soda? What kind of cereal would you want for breakfast?” Within minutes after arriving, she wanted to take care of me like I was still her baby instead of a 58-year-old man. 

Of course, I let her. Being back under my parents’ roof makes me feel like a kid again. I crave the food of my youth: a Coke from Dairy Queen with that perfect pebble ice in a Styrofoam cup or chocolate cream pie for breakfast. In the ’80s, my go-to breakfast was a frosted Pop-Tart, so is pie really that different? In my regular life, I might have queso and chips once every year or so, but at my parents’ house I ate it three out of four days. There it was, sitting on the countertop. At night, it went into the fridge and the next afternoon, it came back out, more cheese was added to it, and it went into the microwave, ready for dipping. 

My eating habits have never been the best, but when I’m at their house, I regress to the kid who would only order a hamburger with “meat, cheese, and mayonnaise.” That was it, nothing else. I’m happy to say that when we did go out to dinner one night, the burger I ordered had green tomato jam, rouille, and pickled red onion, so maybe I’ve grown up a little bit.

In my youth, our refrigerator always had flour tortillas in it. My grandmother would make stacks of them and send them home with us after every visit. My grandmother is gone now, but fortunately there was a place called Mario’s Tacos a quarter mile down the road that scratched that itch. I’m not embarrassed to say that I had breakfast tacos four days in a row. When I’m home in New York, I’m an egg and cheese on a roll kinda guy, but once my feet are planted on Texas soil, a tortilla it must be.

Blue Bell ice cream is another staple of a Texas visit, and on the flight home, I was distraught to realize I never had any. Blue Bell homemade vanilla ice cream is life giving for most Texans. How did I let four days in Texas  pass by without it making it into my body? Never mind the chocolate cake, the aforementioned chocolate cream pie, part of a honey bun from Buc-ee’s, one kolache, and some banana pudding. These are all things I would crave in New York City, but not actually allow myself to have very often. (To be clear, I also ate some vegetables while in Texas. It was a single serving of overcooked green beans that came with barbecued brisket, macaroni and cheese, and a slice of white bread.)

When I was 13 years old and living with my parents, I didn’t think much about what life would be like at 58. Now, I consider what I eat much more carefully. I’m not saying I always eat healthy — far from it. But, at least it’s something I consider. But for four glorious days, I had my parents back in my life who wanted to take care of me and give me what I wanted. It’s hard to not take that when it’s offered. 

Too many of my friends don’t have their parents, and I’m grateful to be able to hug mine, and tell them how much I love them. I know they won’t judge me if I eat chocolate pie for breakfast. How could they when my dad is eating peach cobbler right next to me?

So much in life is temporary, like the size of our families and the houses we grew up in. But sometimes living in the shelter of our parents’ house for a few days can let us pretend that everything is permanent. We can imagine that we’re 13 years old again, with our whole future ahead of us and plenty of time to worry about calories later.