Habits

I know where he, meaning Ethan, gets at least this one...chewing of objects, but if it a hereditary thing I am not sure where myself and both my brothers got our habit from.  Other than my dad's random use of objects, i.e. plastic sandwich bags, as a form of floss, I don't recall ever seeing either of my parents do anything of the sort. 

For my brothers it has always been straws, which were completely unrecognizable when they were finished with them.  I, myself, have a pen cap chewing problem, I have had it for as long as I can remember.  I am also very adamant about my pen as well.  I am not a fan of sharing it, I bite off the hook of the cap and I use the same pen until every drop of ink has been used and then start the same process over again.

 My current pen, almost empty.

Ethan's choice of chewing has been his drink cups.  We have replaced at least 10.

This one has a been replaced three times, all three were very graciously free from Camelbak, as at the time, and maybe still, they didn't sell just the lid or the plastic nipple. 

This one I have also replaced three times, two of which were free from Camelbak, as this one also you couldn't by replacements until just recently.  I still have one of these in reserve.  This picture does not truly show the chewing destruction but the spout is supposed to hold the water like a regular Camelbak until you want to drink it but Ethan has chewed it until it leaks constantly.  He thinks that it is meant to be held by his teeth and not his hands.

And there have been at least 3 other cups that I have throw out from the same fate.

His latest efforts were both of his Nalgene bottles that we have used for milk.  In the spout it has three holes in hard plastic to release the fluid for which he chewed both spouts completely closed and will now be drinking milk from a regular cup.  I should have taken a picture before I threw them both away, it was quite impressive.

Oh how I am looking forward to the constant clean up of spills.