"whats this?" tablemate eyes small bowl of cerealt?

My Dad is the biggest creature of habit of them all, in my opinion. In fact, if he wasn't so set in his ways my Mum would think something serious was wrong with him, she is so used to him being like that. However, at eating-times he can be quite exasperating as she never knows (and I don't think he does either) what he wants to eat..oh, and it's no good asking him to make something as he's useless in the kitchen - doesn't even know how to work the microwave in case he wants to do something 'simple' instead of doing some proper cooking lol. Apart from that he's marvellous!

Well, I see a couple of possibilities here. I have never been in one of those homes but I would think that after living in your homes for 30-40-50 years and then you down sized considerably to a room and the kitchen and maybe game room if you are lucky I would want to atleast depend on my cereal bowl to be the same as I am used to. If not it might make me feel uneasy. What else are they going to change on me? Do I have more down sizing to come? Know what I mean? For some it could seem like one more change that I don't really want to have to go through.

Hi Hatley! I think that I probably would have reacted the same way, I'm sorry to say. I am a bit of a "creature of habit" in some ways, at least in ways that make no particular sense like being given a smaller bowl. I know that as simple a thing as that was would have annoyed me more than it should have. We are creatures of habit, some more than others. I know I can look away from some things, yet others, even though petty might really aggitate me!

I think that to a certain extent we are all creatures of habit. Sometimes in the most uncomfortable situations a person can be set at ease by one thing that they are really used to doing or having. I know that I have noticed there are certain things I am accustomed to doing at certain times even though it is not something I really planned.

We are all very much creatures of habit and we are all thrown completely off when we are not able to follow our typical routines. For example yesterday I was leaving the house to go run my afternoon errands and I was taking the route that I have established to be the best route for in the evenings. Well, one of the roads was unexpectedly closed. Not only did this put me behind my schedule, it also made me almost be late for the important meeting that I had to make it to.

I agree we are creatures of habit and we dont realize it. I know I do things a certain way, adn when I lived with roomates in college when we shared a bathroom they did things differently.

Perhaps these are people not used to change and this is something they will have to learn to grow accustomed too. Many times especially as we get older people expect and want things a certain way and finding ways to learn to,deal with them are important.

It gets really hard to accept even little changes as we get older. I was once told that when people move into those facilities the last pleasure people have is their food and it was going to trigger all kinds of complaints if anything ever went wrong with it. It could be some of each.

I think it's normal for those who are belong to that ages. Time will changes so it will carry your habits. As far as I know we should be patience and understand those people who are older enough

Aunt Hatley, indeed we are creatures of habit. We felt comfortable when we are given or using the same item daily. It is quite difficult to adapt to the new environment if we had been used with the old environment. Everything can change, so we have to learn to adapt to the new way of life. Same goes for your table-mate, he need to accept the change of his cereal bowl. By the way, how is things going on now with your that table-mate? Have he finally accept the change of his cereal bowl?

Hi Hatley, I bet he thought he was being cheated on cereal! It’s probably the same amount, but served in a different bowl. Yes, we are creatures of habit, for sure. I try to go with the flow of things, but if I think I’m being cheated, I might speak up…

Hi Hatley you made me think if I had a similar habit and decided that because I always prefer to eat desert puddings with a teaspoon was one in point. I will use a desert spoon but prefer the teaspoon, please don't ask why cus I don't really know.

I used to do that when i was a child, , when ever the bowl was changed ,i used to feel , my mom gave me less food or snacks, i used to cry like hell, my poor mother, used to measure the food in both the bowls to show me that the amount of food is the same .hehe. well i feel so embarrass when ever i remember it now. now when ever they change my plate,if i didn't start eating, they all say that the amount is same, all of my family member's try to pull my legs. same way your friend might be feeling it now, just talk to him, may be he will understand it.

Some times we get into certain routines. I think we all have our little quirks. It's like whether you see a glass half full or half empty. We all have different perceptions of things.

I have found that children and people that have lost their mental flexibility are more put off by differences. I know most people don't believe it, but children are really quite conservative. They like things to stay the same (kind of like cats in that fact.) If you want a child to be happy with any kind of rearrangement, include them. Make them part of the change, otherwise they get upset. [As an aside, sadly you can't do this with cats.] Now, only because I had quite a bit of contact with people of varied states of mental flexibility in the years I spent visiting at the Manor with mom, I noticed that people that were more aware of things were better able to handle unexpected changes. I found those who were pretty inflexible in their thoughts and behaviors before they became impaired were even more inflexible after they started losing their ... well... whatever... For example, my mom briefly had a roommate who was angry that she had to share a space with anyone, after mom returned to her apartment her family got her in a single room. But I have to say, there were times we worried about mom while she was in the room with her. Apparently she was mostly hostile looks and not acts, but they were scary hostile looks! On the other hand, I've been over to see a friend of mom's who was always sweet, with nice things to say about everyone. She knows she knows me, but I'm not sure if she knows I'm ME or my sister (her youngest daughter was friends with my sister). It doesn't matter, she's always happy to see me, and I suspect she's probably happy to see anyone. So, I suspect that your tablemate was upset because it wasn't what he expected and while he's pretty able still to be on his own, he's beginning to lose some of his flexibility.

we do expect it at times to be the same with wonderful size and also the cereal in it like we always do,its kind of nice also

Auntie and everyone else: Being upset by something unfamiliar, however insignificant it may seem to others, is characteristic of Alzheimer's. Steve may be starting to develop it. Hopefully it will be some time before it gets to the stage where he will not be able to live with you all any longer and have to go into care.

hi dear Hatley I understand your tablemate quite well. Its simply easier and more convenient to eat cereal from a bigger bowl and I would have frowned as well though I am not in my senior years yet. I am a creature of habit as you put it when it comes to such stuff. In fact here at home I think that my usual coffee even tastes better when I use certain mugs....... lol....

hi there madam :) hope you are all good :) well, pertaining to the discussion, sometimes we really expected hugely and turned out to fail at the end. that would hurt us of course. i experienced lots of things pertaining to this kind which is expecting much. i guess based on my own perception, God turned me down sometimes to know my mistakes because He is a jealous God. for what i had observed during this times of my life that my imagination would go beyond wilder and of many big things. and that if received lots of what i do expect, i felt i am the mightier and that would be wrong because we are being taught humility and humbleness. well, your mate expected big bowls of cereal and that the expectation is what i tried to elaborate and not the subject of yours madam and of mine. hmmm... so to conclude, not what we all wanted in life can be achieved or can be committed. sometimes, we must wait the thing to see and cope with what we are having. in me, so instead of complaining, all we need to do is to pray. thanks my madam for sharing this one :)))

Must be hungry, I hope you offered them some.