Gloopy jelly

I was spreading peanut butter on a piece of bread today and I realized the impact we parents have on our kids reaches far deeper than I had previously imagined. Everyone knows that we teach our kids about right and wrong, shape their ideas about politics, love, relationships, truth, and basically impart ideas about all of the big stuff. But we imprint upon our children our ideas about the small stuff as well.

For instance, I make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in a very specific way. I toast the bed slightly so that it's crunchy but not browned at all. I spread the jelly evenly and do not GLOP ever. I shudder at the thought of gloppy jelly. I also spread the peanut butter evenly, and usually add a little more peanut butter than jelly. That's the way I like 'em. So when I started making sandwiches for Rachel, I just naturally made them that way. But who knows? Maybe she would like gloppy jelly on her sandwich! I took that choice away from her.

And then I started wondering: in what other ways do I subtly influence her likes and dislikes? For instance, I don't like bathroom humor. Just ain't funny to me. I am sure at some point my kids will go through that bathroom humor phase, but when they reach the other side of it, will they throw aside all bathroom humor because Daddy doesn't like it?

Okay, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and bathroom humor are somewhat silly examples. But still I wonder. How am I subtly impacting my kids? Will they miss out on something they might have really liked because I don't like it and didn't expose them to it? I suppose this is where I find comfort in the fact that Sharon and I have many separate interests and she has just as much influence as I do.

Still. I wonder.