"First, make it very clear what it is he does that annoys you when he eats. You say that it is making noise from his mouth or plate. As he eats, identify what it is about his eating that bothers you, and what it is you would like him to do instead. I assume that you don't make much noise when you eat, so you are probably eating the way you would like him to eat.

Then carefully teach him his new eating habits. Watch him eat, and correct him if he falls back into his old way of doing things. You may feel a little discouraged when his habits don't change right away, and he may feel uncomfortable trying to eat in a way that doesn't feel right to him. That's the way we all feel when we try to change our habits. But the alternative is a lifetime of unpleasant dining. Once his habits change, and they will within a few weeks, you can look forward to a lifetime of enjoyable meals together, instead."

"So, make a list of all the things he does that annoy you. Take a few days to complete the list to be sure you have as many of them as possible. You may have as many as 25 annoying habits on your list when you are done. One woman I counseled made up a list of over 500.

Then, go through your list and rate them from 1 to 6 according to how much each one bothers you. Give a number "6" to the ones that bother you the very most, and a "1" to those that bother you the least, and use the other numbers for intermediate amounts of annoyance.

Begin with all of those habits that have been given a 6, the habits that effect you the most, and select no more than three habits for elimination. Each of these three habits should be carefully described by you, and you should also describe what elimination means."

Here are some excerpts from an article on Annoying Habits - the key is for him to be honest about these things so you can makes changes. You can't make changes if you don't know:


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