Last week we saw Grandma. They love to see Grandma because they know that she *never* comes empty handed! She always brings some little goodie for them to eat. This last time, she brought Twinkies. I can't think of a better treat! Neither could my kids. They were all happily devouring their Twinkies when I noticed one of my boys ate one small part of his, then carefully stuck the remaining yumminess back into its packaging and went off to put it somewhere. About two days later, he appeared with his little package of partially eaten Twinkies and gave me very specific instructions. He said, "Mom, please don't throw these away. I want you to put them in my backpack tomorrow for our afternoon snack at school."
I have to say I was amazed at his restraint. He hadn't eaten it all the moment it was given to him. Then, he had the control to keep it in a safe spot (where the other kids wouldn't find it) and not sneak a few bites sometime in the night or whenever else his sweet tooth called for a goodie. He had kept it, saved it, and waited for just the right time.
I was really proud that a 7 year old could delay the gratification of inhaling his Twinkies. That afternoon he came home all smiles, having thoroughly enjoyed his treat at snack time in the classroom. I'm sure all his table-mates were jealously salivating over his snack!
Later that evening I received a "kindly reminder" from the 1st grade teachers--letting me know that snacks needed to be "healthy, and easy to eat so they don't make a mess on the desks."
Sorry Ms. B. I would much rather send my boy to school with a sugary, frosting filled dessert, but know that at such a young age he was able to use a little self control (which is really hard when you're a 7 year old boy!) and delay the gratification of eating such a fine dessert. We live in a society that demands immediate gratification. It is very hard for our kids to learn to wait for the good things.
I'm sure it tasted a lot better than Brandon's carrots!
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