Don't Play With Your Food

Micah somehow, somewhere got the idea that he can buy something every time I am at a checkout counter. His two choices are either a Hershey bar or a bag of Doritos. He knows the good stuff.

So we're at Wal-Mart yesterday and he chose a Hershey bar. Bless his dear little heart, he won't ever try to sneak one over on me. He always waves it in my face, clearly asking if he can have it. And most times he waits until I tell him before he tries scanning it himself. After I bag it, he has to go look in the bag to be sure it's there because sometimes, mysteriously, that candy bar vanishes somewhere between him handing it to me and it actually getting bagged. When he sees it in there, he looks at me and grins.

Yes, I am buying smiles from my children. Is it all that wrong?

Yesterday he took his chocolate from the bag and played with it while I finished checking out. He'd gotten a Big Block Bar for once, and I remember thinking, "Oooh, there's enough for me to share." He and his Big Block Bar were entertaining themselves grandly. He slid it along the checkout counter. He shoved it off the end and let it fall onto the floor. And repeated. And again. Oooh, how fun. It smacks on the floor like a belly flop every single time! He got overcome with his success and hugged it tightly in both hands. Actually it looked like he was choking it. The thing kinda scrunched up in his grip. I kinda cringed, thinking of the chocolate bits that would fall out and be lost forever when I gently opened the wrapper.

He grabbed one end of the candy bar and waved it frantically up and down. Since it was broken in the middle the other end merrily flapped away. He found this highly amusing. He wiggled it this way and that, banged it against the shopping cart, slapped it off the conveyor belt, slammed it on the floor.

The cashier was watching with something like amused horror on her face. I was thinking, "so much for sharing. There won't even be crumbs left to lick when he's done with it."

When we packed the groceries in the van and Micah was strapped in, he asked me to open his candy. I carefully peeled back a small corner and prepared to catch the chocolate dust that fell out. Those Big Block Bars are made of stiffer stuff than an average candy bar. It was only in three pieces and not so much damaged after all. I handed him a few squares and tucked the rest into my purse. There was no way that I was going to let him eat that much at once, and certainly not in my van. Any parent knows that kids and chocolate cant' be trusted together.

Today I was cleaning out my purse and found the remains of the chocolate bar. Total score. And totally shameless that I ate it.