To think a 38 year old shouldn't need to be told to close his mouth while he is eating ahhhhhhhh!

[littlemisssunny]

Seriously my OH is driving me crazy eating with his mouth open! I can't stand all the slopping noises it's like being at the bloody zoo!

His mum and dad are just as bad, sitting at the table with them all is like a form of torture

I have tried telling him nicely and not so nicely as I am trying to teach the kids not to do it and he claims he does eat with his mouth closed!

He also sits down at the table and just starts eating, doesn't wait for everyone else to sit down and serve themselves. Don't get me wrong at a restaurant if I was still waiting for food I would always tell people to start without me, and I wouldn't expect the children to wait they can just start but its just bad manners.

I don't know how much more I can take, almost 15 years I have endured this without stabbing him with my fork but how are the children going to learn when he sits there and virtually inhales his food!

Video him and make him watch it?

Oh and no, YANBU in my opinion, it would drive me crazy!

Before I met DH, I used to do this, but really didn't realise. When DH told me, I was horrified, and made a real effort to stop. We then told my dtwin that she was doing it, and she has stopnasn well. We are now working on my older dsis!

Always serve him his dinner last?

Got my DH to stop this before I married him. It took some doing. He was VERY resistant. He tells the DC not to do it.

However, I have not managed to stop the conveyer belt eating method. The DC (adults) do it to some extent. It has undermined all my attempts to teach table manners. I do not want to spend the whole meal telling them what to do as that is just as bad and ruins my meals. However, they are nowhere near as bad as some of the visitors we have had over the years, so something must have gone right.

I blame DH's parents - they never taught him properly and their idea of heaven was to go away in a caravan and do things the easy way together. They avoided social meal occsions like the plague so although they had some idea, they did not pass it on to him. Also DH is the most bloody minded stubborn bu**er out, and will not do anything unless he thinks it is a good idea (preferably his) and is too competative at arguing.

PS meant to say I feel your pain!

Keep teaching your children, in as positive way as possible, showing them what to do, (especially if he is not around) and they may help you.

yuk. I wouldn't be able to eat.

I hate stuff like that and am very blunt about saying so

I would simply refuse to eat with someone who ate like a pig.

Or put their plate on the floor and say if you're going to behave like an animal, you can eat like one.

I cannot tell you how much chomping, slurping, gulping or an eyeful of someone's half masticated food turns my stomach

YANBU. I was nearly sick on my plate once when I had to sit opposite DP's dad during a meal. It's one of my pet hates.

Oh, meant to say that my husband has a tendency to gobble his food. Drives me up the wall. He loads so much food onto his fork that he has to stretch his mouth so wide it looks like it's going to split.

I have snapped at him, asked him nicely, told him it's revolting, told him it's embarrassing, said it's bad manners, asked him who he thinks is going to come and steal his food...

Now I make fork lift truck noises. "beeep beeeep beeep beeep" (with my arms as the 'forks', so you know what it is)

It's not subtle, I grant you, but he is almost completely cured

DD's do this and I've reached the end of my tether. They have been warned that they will get one warning, if they do it again they miss the rest of their meal and get mothing til the next one - an they know I mean it as I'm being a very mean mum right now (have removed all their toys from their bedroom, banned DS and computers but thats a whole different story!)

at Hecate and the fork lift truck noises!

I have tried telling him but its driving me crazy. I honestly would sit to eat without him if I could. I really can't stand sloppy eating. Perhaps I should just wear ear plugs. He also snores really loudly but also denies this! He says he doesn't and I said how do you know your asleep!! I remember when his mum stayed once and was in the bedroom next to ours and I was like what on earth is that noise, an earthquake

I say I don't have insomnia I have a husband who snores!

Why can't you sit to eat without him?

Put your plate in the microwave. Eat first. Take your plate into the living room and eat on a tray on your lap.

I will not eat with you, you have revolting habits.

You need to sit him facing a mirror, preferably a large wall mirror propped in front of him. Let him see what he's like whilst he's eating.

I would Narked but he doesn't look up or breathe while he is eating.

He has 3 sisters so when they were younger you ate as fast as you could before someone else had it, and he hasn't changed!

Video him eating and snoring, he can't deny it then!