Is it time for the nail clippers yet?

This morning in the car E said, "Hey Mom, guess what? I think I've been biting my nails less lately."

I have been trying to ignore this habit of his, but it's hard. Since he was three he has been gnawing on his nails constantly. I believe entire months went by in his sixth and seventh years when his fingers did not leave his lips except to eat.

It struck me, this morning, that E started biting his nails the very day he started on the gymnastics team.

Gymnastics = nail-biting. No gymnastics = less nail-biting.

Anyone else see a pattern here?

I just know it -- it's going to turn out that the five years of gymnastics team, which I thought were so good for him, caused enough stress to set him up for heart disease and an ulcer.