Ratted Out By The Sue!
I had 5-year-old Lily (Whom I affectionately refer to as "The Sue") over Friday night. She spent the night and most of Saturday, after waking up at 6 A.M. Saturday morning.
That morning, we played some classic Super Nintendo video games on my laptop. Final Fantasy was her favorite. The soldiers in the castle in Zelda, A Link To The Past were a bit too fast for her.
After a little while, she started begging me for a piece of candy.
"Please PeePaw," she pleaded, "Mommy and Daddy never let me have any candy!"
"Never?" I asked, incredulously.
"No," she said, "They said it's bad for my teeth."
I had to concede to her parents on that point, but The Sue was relentless in her quest for something sweet, and I eventually gave in and found a Reese's mini peanut butter cup, which she devoured with great relish. (Well, she actually said the relish was a bit too tangy)
"Please don't tell Mommy and Daddy," she begged. and I agreed that it would remain our secret.
Later Saturday evening, when Dad picked her up, it wasn't 5 minutes before I heard "You gave her chocolate for breakfast?"
"No," I said, "I gave her one little piece of chocolate. It was not for breakfast."
"We don't give her candy," he said, "It's bad for her teeth!"
I apologized, and assured him it would not happen again. In a few minutes, I had a chance to speak with The Sue alone.
"How come you ratted me out?" I asked, not knowing if she understood the meaning of that phrase or not.
"Daddy asked what I had to eat," she said.
"You had oatmeal for breakfast," I said..."remember? I thought you wanted the candy to be our secret?"
She didn't answer, and I learned that secrets are not too sacred to 5-year-olds, which I suppose is a good thing, but is a mini Reese's cup really a big deal? Don't kids get to enjoy an occasional piece of candy anymore?
I told The Sue I probably couldn't give her candy anymore, and I thought I saw a little sadness in her eyes, but I suspect the time will come (and sooner, rather than later), when she will again beg PeePaw for another piece of candy, and, just between you and I, it's very difficult for PeePaw to turn down a request from The Sue.
We may have to have a prior discussion regarding the sacredness of secrets, however.
Recent Comments
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I love this story. Children are just the best. They will always rat you out and they will always get us to do what we want them to do.
As affiliate marketers we could probably learn a trick or two from them.
Have to admit that I have a tad of jealously that you have a grandchild. My 3 grown up, charming adults are showing no sign of providing me with them any time soon. But I’m ready, and willing to be ratted out!
With Grace and Gratitude
Karen
Hi Karen! Yeah, kind of turned out that I was the bad guy for breaking Mom and Dad's rules, but it's hard to turn the little ones down when they're pleading with you. Probably won't be the last time I get in trouble, but it was worth it! :)
I allowed my daughter sweets (candy) once a week (twice if it was a special occasion.
She was a little chubby -delightfully so, but I didn't want to add to it and cause her problems later in life by filling her up with junk.
Neither did I want to be a misery guts and have her feel deprived!
I'll never know if I got it right
No worries, Cecile. I'm sure you did your best, and that's all anyone can ask of us. Heck, I used to stop by a little Mom and Pop store every day on my way home from school, filling up on pretzel sticks, red licorice, and sour apple and sour cherry gum balls, and I'd do it all again. I even still had plenty of room for supper. Glad my folks weren't too strict with me! :)
You must have had the preverbial dustbin tummy! I wonder what the USA equivalent is?
I wasn't as strict as my parents. Eating on the street was 'common' and if we were ever caught....!
We did 'naughty' things like pulling off the ends of fresh bread and munching them in the car on the way home. It had a conspirital feel about it!
Ah well, those were the days, lol!
I remember riding our bikes to a bread factory, where they would sell us a hot loaf of bread off the assembly line for a nickel each. It was warm and chewy, but birds ended up with most of it. :)
i know how she feels! I wasn't allowed to have candy when I was growing up but for some reason as soon my dad asked if I had candy, I spilled the beans every time. At least until I got old enough to sneak and get it for myself...It was OK to rat someone else out but I wasn't about tell on myself. ;-)
Ya got a few more years to go with her ratting on ya Rick! Enjoy it while you can.
Glad to see ya back.
Hi Rick,
Nice to hear from you...and the Sue. Adorable story...yes I think kids deserve a little chocolate once in awhile....especially from PeePaw!
Debbie
Think all of us peepaws and grammys have faced this, but life goes on and we just do our best, weather its a piece of candy or a 4 wheeler papa bought our grand son it works out
Yeah, no worries, Vicki. All we can hope for is to make them feel loved and to do our best. :)
Ask them if they give her milk after she brushes her teeth, or if they're smart enough to know that does the same thing as overeating sweets.
No problem.
Candy isn't nearly as bad for the teeth as not brushing the teeth after eating/drinking something with sugar, no matter where the sugar comes from. As with anything, it's the quantity eaten that's bad.
It is a good choice in the long run, as when she grows up she'll lean towards healthy eating which will save her liver and heart (tooth quality is genetic). But yeah. One piece of reeses pieces isn't going to hurt her.
The sugar content of milk can rot your teeth the same way candy can by not brushing teeth. The factor is the teeth brushing, not the candy or milk. Lol.
I know. And that's not a bad thing. I think I'm most upset that the excuse is the teeth, when really the liver is more affected by sugar.
Yeah...Is the oatmeal you cook for her tasty? You can add raisins, dried apricots, even some nuts, honey- she must be pleased with it...and a small piece of candy...No big trouble, I guess, if it's not much. Children see other kids eating candies, and they might feel bad not having that...You are a very good PeePaw, no doubt...:)))
Thanks, Vera. She had the same oatmeal I eat a lot for breakfast. It comes in a packet, though, and I'm sure it has some added sweetener. Can't win for losing! :)
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I'm so pleased to see you posting again Rick even if its few and far between. Lill (the Sue) is my favorite!
Thanks, Mike. Hope you're doing well!