Typically Halloween is the unofficial ending to our autumn season. That said, autumn signifies the end of apple season, too.

Watching these apples hit the cold, wet, ground, I am reminded of the phrase "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree." No truer words exist when you compare my daughter to my wife. Both seem to have traits that go well beyond normal female characteristics.

For instance, my drinks seem to always be colder (or warmer, depending upon the situation) than the glass they are drinking from. Therefore, they both feel the need to drink from my cup rather than be bothered with their own drink (which I probably poured them, by the way.)

Additionally, as the husband and father, my food is warmer or served as a larger portion. This results in both of them taking bites from my plate, or in some instances, simply switching plates with me entirely. Many times, this leaves me with either:

Less food than before, although my weight would never show it, or

An entirely different meal than what I originally ordered.

When this happens, it's sometimes good and sometimes not so good, like when my daughter chose to eat my mashed potatoes and in return, I got a fistful of scrunched up, soggy, cold green beans that had already been in her mouth at least once. That's a bad trade.

As a man, husband, father, etc., I can handle it. But what really scares me is that I see the same trend beginning to develop with my son.

The most obvious situation takes place every day when the two kids play together (if that's what you want to call it.)

Apparently, my son's toys are bigger, better, faster, light-up more or better, make better sounds or make you dizzier than my daughter's toys.

Consequently, she has been taking his toys now and exchanging them for something less desirable, such as a deflated ball, a toy car with a flat tire or a musical toy that makes no noises. This is a bad trade for him, but something that he should probably get used to as he gets older. It will make him a better husband and father.

She does it with food, too, as she tries to drink from his cup, eat whatever he's eating (never mind the fact that she has about eight teeth and can't chew many things) and do whatever he is doing.

I watched her "trade" her half-eaten apple that was three days old for his brand new bowl of Coca Crispies, and when I took the bowl back and gave it to him, she tried to win me over with those sad puppy dog eyes – the same eyes that her mother uses on me to get things, too.

I guess when you try to figure it out, it's really not that difficult to comprehend. As a guy, I want to see my girls happy, whether they are eating, drinking, playing, dressing or just need to stay warm. It appears that my son has that same trait, too.

I'd like to think that we are unique in this respect, but I have a feeling that this same situation occurs most days all over the world, as men try desperately to retain what is theirs while at the same time, take time to provide for their family.

All of this family dynamic thinking has made me hungry, but I really need to consider what I don't want to eat so that I can be certain it will be taken away by either my wife or daughter. That way, I can get what I really want when they steal my food and drink.