Saturday night at the wedding my brother and his bride set up a table with canisters full of candy and bags for guests to fill with M&Ms, Raisinets, Gummi Worms, Hershey's Kisses and Milk Duds. My kids went to town, and the Little One left the reception hoisting a sack equaling her weight in sugar and chocolate.
When there is candy in our house, it becomes an hourly discussion topic. So I try to exploit the parenting angles: Gummi Worms emerging as a new favorite, we offered them as a reward to Daughter #2 for Pooping on the Potty. Not for Pooping in her Pull-Up. NOT for Pooping in her Underwear. NOT. IN. UNDERWEAR. PLEASE.
Lots of Gummi Worm Talk, no Poop Action. *Sigh*
Tonight we told both daughters they could choose a piece of candy if they finished their dinners.
Down went asparagus. Down went avocado. Down went ravioli. Down...went...(yuck)...tomato.
Bigger One chose a Gummi Bear and Little One chose a Gummi Worm (and now there's only ONE LEFT for an elusive Potty Poop).
One Gummi Bear being a sort of tiny reward, I told #1 she could have another. She was effusively thankful.
About half an hour later she came to me, rather distressed.
"Mommy, I need to tell you something..."
"Okay?"
"Well, you know when you let me have two Gummi Bears?
"Yeah..." thinking, That was nice of me.
"I actually took another one."
"You mean you had three?"
"Yeah," she offered, looking regretful.
A thoughtful moment later, she added, "I kept wondering when you would ask, 'What are you chewing'...but you never did."
As a Mom AND a Vice Principal, confessions to me are...like gold, and...SO RARE. Made me want to give her a lifetime of Gummi Bears.
Instead, I told her I was proud of her. And that next time, she could ask for that trifling third Gummi Bear (instead of sneaking it).
And if she remembered to say "please," she could maybe have four.
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