My mother always said that as long as she knew where I was and what I was doing, she’d never worry about me. But there was always something reassuring about seeing her waiting up for me when I went to her room to check in after coming home!
It was seen as a sign of gluttony to eat everything on one’s plate. It wasn’t until the shortages caused by the Depression and World War II that the mindset became “Use it up/wear it out/Make it do/or do without.”
Cats have that selective hearing, too!