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Christi Diggs
on May 23 2013 - 06:00 AM
A drop of spin, a cup of deception and tsp. politics=Apathy
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Lindsay Metcalf
on May 22 2013 - 06:00 AM
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mara williams
on May 21 2013 - 06:00 AM
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I say no. In fact I say heck no.
Maybe that’s because I stock my purse with Smarties. You know, those small pill candies that come in rolls. The candy I grew up on.
It’s also the candy that’s basically the only thing in this world that stops our youngest dead in his crying tracks.
When I need to go shopping, six Smarties go in the purse. They stay there until he gets wiggly in the cart and starts to make a fuss. If I only have a few minutes left, I’ll stick it out. If not, I go for the candy.
“Do you want a Smartie?” I ask as if I’m asking him if he wants $10,000.
Cry, cry. And then the calm starts.
“Yeaaaaahhh.”
I have a guaranteed five minutes before the fussing starts again and I need to whip out another roll.
The family and I are currently in upstate New York and I bought a gigantic bag of Smarties before we left home. Some in the suitcase. Some in the purse. Some in the laptop bag.
And let’s just say, we had no problem on the plane and life has been pretty tantrum-free.
Normally I’m not a fan of bribery but when it comes to scenes in public, I guess I am. I can only handle so much.
A few close friends say I’m crossing the line, that I’m basically rewarding bad behavior with something good. Or that I’m creating a sugar freak.
But I guess the way I see it is I need him to be calm just a little longer and if a little roll of candy is going to do that, then I’m getting me some candy.
Now, as for the sugar freak, I think that’s where I’m guilty. And I’ve agreed with my husband to cut back on sugar during the New Year.
No more cookies in the morning. No more drinks of brother’s Sprite.
But, the Smarties? They’re staying in the purse. In the suitcase. And in the laptop bag.
At least until we get back to Kansas.
Sugar freak? You'd have to eat a truckload of Smarties to experience a sugar high! I'm with you. I can't tell you how many Sundays I was good in church because one of the deacons was ready with the Life Savers.I carry candy in my purse for DS. Keeps the tears away and if he is happy it is easier to keep DD happy as well. DS goes more for the mints they give at Sonic or Taco Johns, but if it comes to it he will eat almost anything you have, except for chocolate! We are getting ready to head to PA for a few weeks and you can bet that I have candy packed for him so that we can make it through the trip!!I am a huge fan of gummy bears for this purpose. It takes my two year old forever to chew them, so he doesn't get that many and he thinks they are the best thing ever. I wouldn't give them to him so that he behaves around the house, but nobody in Hen House did anything to deserve listening to the meltdown in the cereal aisle, you know? And God love you for keeping him happy on the plane. That is a public service.It's all situational. Yes, if I'm in a public situation with a young child about to melt down ... and I need just a little more time ... I'll use candy. Now that my daughter's older, I don't do that so much. However, if she has been especially well behaved, I'll buy her some gum or a KitKat bar at the checkout and make a point of telling her how proud I am of her behavior. Or, if she's tired or grumpy when we start out on errands, I'll sometimes offer a reward at the end -- such as going through the McDonald's drive-through (which we don't do often) -- for good behavior.I don't think so. We bring snacks or small toys for my daughter we we're running errands. If you're feeling bad about the sweet thing maybe you could bring some pretzels or animal crackers. I think kids just like having something to do in the store. Actually adults like it too. My husband probably would go out on errands if he didn't have his blackberry to keep him occupied.When my girls were little I probably should have bought stock in goldfish and fruit snacks! I ALWAYS carried them in my bag for their short tempered days or long waits in the doctor's office. If it gives you a few minutes of peace then go for it! :)Hey, I just had another thought. It could be worse. At least you're not giving the kid morphine like they used to do for fussy babies.You used to be able to give them morphine? If we could still do that, my poor kid would be an opium fiend by now. The gummy bears are probably cheaper, though... :-)Morphine? Yeah, they used to put it into over-the-counter teething medicine, among other things. My grandmother recalled such products being available when her children were little.I don't usually have a lot of candy in my purse, but it's got more flavors of gum than the express lane. All the kids know this. Everywhere I go, here they come, "Hey, Jennifer... can I have some gum? You got that blueberry kind again?" DS is constantly bugging me for gum. But at least it keeps him occupied and calm. Aaaaaah.We try to stay away from lots of sugar, but I definitely carried something to eat for my kids at that age. We did more pretzels and crackers, or string cheese. Sometimes now it's a sucker (lasts longer) or gum. Smarties are not good for me to carry-- I eat them, and it's the whole roll in one fell swoop. Doesn't last long enough. I LOVE them! By the way, I laughed out loud at teenymom's comment: "And God love you for keeping him happy on the plane. That is a public service." Great!
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