Is Oatmeal "Mush"?

Once, having watched an episode of "The Lil' Rascals" with each rascal in turn pulling a face at their serving of something they disdainfully referred to as "mush", I asked Mother if oatmeal was perhaps the same thing as "mush". It turns out that "mush" is a thick porridge made by boiling cornmeal in water or milk, and Mother assured me it was not the same thing as oatmeal. No, not at all. Still.
Understand, please. I wanted to like oatmeal. My sister liked it, after all. She absolutely loved it. Try as I might, however, by the time I could talk myself into putting a spoonful in my mouth, it was cold, and there were lumps. My throat would close up and seems there was actual gagging involved.

I'm not sure if Mother just followed the directions on the box, or if she did something else in the preparation process. At any rate, now that I have added oatmeal to the list of foods I heartily approve, I do think that it does not hold on the stove well, and should be dished out just as soon as it is ready, and consumed in the narrow corridor between, "Ouch! I burnt my tongue!" and "Here, see if Mikey will eat it."

Following stovetop box instructions (except for my use of chopsticks) to prepare two servings:

Boil 1 and 3/4 cup water (which has 1/8 tsp. salt added), then stir in 1 cup (90 grams) oatmeal, the "quick- 1 minute" variety. Turn heat to medium and cook for one minute. Remove from heat, dish it out, add your favorite toppings and some milk, if you like. Craisins and blueberries, a sprinkle of brown sugar and splash of milk is nice. I've also served with yogurt and honey, omitting the milk. Using chopsticks to stir helps keep lumps from forming, and putting the points of the chopsticks into the bowl you are about to fill, then pouring the oatmeal over the tips of the sticks prevents splatter. Oh! By placing the Craisins in the bowl before rapidly pouring the oatmeal over them, they disperse themselves around the edges. [see bottom right corner of photo.] Top with blueberries in the middle, and milk, it becomes a red white and blue start for your day!

My sister still likes oatmeal and on a visit to her house in recent years, she gave her seal of approval to the microwave method for single serving preparation. Consistency is good and there's no boiler to clean!