Childhood oral fixation: did you eat paper?

Yeah, I used to tear off and chew the corners of book pages: I was a bibliophage, I guess. Never swallowed them, though - used to spit them onto the ceiling of my room, where they’d dry and harden into a kind of papier mache.

No paper. I used to eat sand.

Guilty

I am so envious of your sister, because I’d known for years that Mr. Crisp had a listed phone number, and loved to get to know strangers. When he died, I kicked myself for never having called him up.

I ate paper too. Lots of it. It just doesn’t delight like it used to; the thrill is gone.

I thought I was the only one. I’d carefully tear the bottom, top and sides of a page in a book for maximum eating paper without ruining the story for when I next read it. On reflection I have no idea what made me stop. I have a fairly addictive personality so I’m surprised I don’t still do it.

Rice paper is nice. It’s got carbs and all! :smiley:

You’re not alone. I can’t rememnber when I stopped, exactly. Must have been my early teens and I suspect it was a tapering off thing, rather than sudden. I certainly no longer did it by the time I hit college and have no such compulsion now.

  • Tamerlane

Only one kind - the “flags” from hersey kisses. I’d eat them with the chocolate. It still seems strange to throw them away now.

A lot of my comic books had ragged margins.

I have a memory of eating a bit of note paper in grade school, and the teacher accused me of making spitballs. Maybe that helped me to stop! :slight_smile:

Oh and that reminds me - I used to eat the paper wrappings on cupcakes/muffins. Same reason.

  • Tamerlane

No.

Of course not, never. The missing corners on the pages of my books were missing when I bought them. They came that way.

I definitely don’t do it now, either.

Mini Post-its? Never

I used to/still do eat paper from time to time. I did this a lot when I was younger, mostly the ends of notebook paper. Once, one of my teachers got fed up with this and sent me to the school nurse so I woul learn about the dangers of eating paper! I was scared to death going into her office, thinking that I must have seriously caused myself some sickness. When I asked her what was going to happen, she simply replied " it will come out the other end". I was thrilled with the result and resumed my paper eating at once.

At about age 13 I consumed an entire Krispy Kreme doughnut box on a dare. The slightly glazed cardboard bottom tasted great, but the heavy ink on top was tough to swallow.

I am a teacher now, and will on occasion grab the perforated edges of paper that my students have just torn off of their paper and toss it into the old pie hole while walking by their desk. This always sends a great shockwave through the room. I love it!

Rancid

I would eat tiny bits of paper just for the heck of it.

Heh–eating pieces of Trident with the wrapper still enclosing them is the one I still do the most. I think because I was told they were made purposely to be eaten.