I like to indulge this little girl every so often. The occasion of her birthday brings all manner of candy from people who don't realize that we try really hard to keep candy out of the conversation. Because it is her birthday candy I have to let her eat some.
Last night, I am cooking dinner. She says she wants a piece of her candy. I tell her that she can only eat it after she has some dinner. She says she wants to take a particular piece of candy out to the living room and put it on the table and she promises she won't eat it until after dinner.
I drop down on my knees. I tell her what she is talking about doing is called temptation. I tell her that she is talking about tempting herself to disobey what I told her. I tell her that she can take it to the living room and place it on the table but that she is not to open or eat it until after dinner. I had been promising her a fruit popsicle all day (for after dinner). I tell her, "if you leave it on the table until after dinner you may have the piece of candy and the popsicle." Her eyes light up. I tell her that if I come into the living room and she has opened or is eating the candy that I will take the candy away and she will also have to give up the popsicle and still have to eat dinner. I ask her if she understands. She says yes.
I tell her, you may take the candy to the living room now. She holds the candy in her hand and peels out around the corner to the living room. With small children I knew this could go either way. I was going to wait two minutes then come out to the living room to see how she had fared. I was really hoping that she would put it on the table and leave it. It surprised me when mere seconds later she comes back around the corner and hands me the piece of candy and says she wants to put it away for now but would like to eat it after dinner.
I am so proud of this girl. Best Mother's Day gift ever.
