He’s only 7 and I’m really torn between trying to coach it out of him or at this point, leaving the poor kid alone and addressing my own issue with it.
I’ve definitely got misophonia, have memories of strong reactions to family members eating loudly since I was around 5/6. I’m now nearly 40, three small children. The issue is even if I could take a pill to cure myself of this (thinking of asking GP for a beta blocker as I’ve read this can help) don’t want him to grow up with bad manners and for it to affect relationships with colleagues, friends, etc. (my brother is a loud eater and I honestly don’t know how his partner copes- I know his MIL struggles with his loud eating. Are some people just incurably loud eaters?!)
DS 7 is our oldest and has inherited his dads breathing system so to speak. He can breathe through his nose but not easily. My other child is only 4 and eats with his mouth closed with no issue, I probably reminded him when he was younger but this comes naturally to him now.
When DS 7 eats, it’s often with his mouth wide open and a gasping sound. When I remind him to keep his mouth closed, he does for a while but honestly it still sounds like he’s going under water! Gasping between chewing and also a kind of groaning as well - his dad does this too - although he tries not to it’s his natural way of eating. it’s really overwhelming to me, and I try really hard to not react because I don’t want to constantly harass him. poor kid. he doesn’t get upset when I remind him, I try to positive about it and he really wants to be polite. But polite eating is short lived.
so what do I do-
YABU - it’s your duty to continue to try to help him be polite - even if you potentially make him feel self-conscious and nagged
YANBU - yes, address your own issues, remind him occasionally but accept he’ll probably be a loud eater and it’s your issue not his.