Divining marshmallows

So there's this test, the marshmallow test, where you give a kid a marshmallow, tell him/her that you're going to leave the room, and that s/he can eat the marshmallow now, but if s/he waits until you get back then s/he can have another one too. And then you leave.

I've never been tempted to try this on Téo. I don't want to know now that he's going to end up a badly adjusted instant-gratification junkie with a major impulse control disorder.

Because I'm sure as hell that marshmallow would be down his gullet before the door was even closed. Before I'd even left the room.

We've had a few cases of him sneaking sweet things over the past year. Like meringues from the cupboard. One time he continued to eat lollies from a birthday lolly bag, after I'd said he had had enough for the day - and lied about it when confronted. Lied while still chewing the lollies.

I threw the rest away as punishment.

The lesson did not sink in.

Last weekend, after going trick or treating, the deal was that he could have some lollies after everyone had finished dinner.

He finished first (probably so he could have the lollies quicker), and left the table to play while everyone else finished. You know what happened next. Right down to lying with the lollies still in his mouth.

He was denied any more lollies for the whole weekend.

Apparently this was still not enough.

This week I had this great idea for his reading, to make a treasure hunt where he has to read each clue. He LOVES it. I was very pleased with myself.

The treasure is a lolly, and there's one for Lukan too.

You know where this is going too.

No impulse control whatsoever.

He's doomed.

But then... the other night, at 10pm, C interrupted my escape to Hogwarts to desperately ask me where the bag of un-handed-out Halloween lollies was. He left the room very sadly when he realised that yes, he had in fact already eaten every lolly in the house.

And then I remembered that he has eaten lollies that he knew were promised to Téo.

And that he even rescued the lollies I threw away as punishment, and ate them.

And that my dad could not leave an open bag of chocolates unfinished.

And that Dad also ate chocolate that was mine - my entire ration for a week-long hike, 2 days into the hike, after he'd finished his.

And I confess (Mum, don't read the rest of this sentence) even I, as a kid, stole milk money to buy lollies.

C and I seem to doing be OK, and Dad could hardly be described as a failure.

So maybe Téo's not so doomed. But clearly, any sugar entering our house is.

If you want a smile, have a look at these kids trying not to eat the marshmallow...