I bribe my kid with candy

I never wanted to completely deprive my kid of treats, but I did hope to delay him asking for candy, specifically, for as long as possible. I like that he gets happy with an organic animal cracker or homemade smoothie. I guess I should start off by apologizing to all of the moms out there who bribe their kids with candy, because I've judged you. And I'm sorry. Chalk it up to first time motherhood... I just didn't realize its power.

Now, my kid doesn't really know what candy is yet, so obviously this hasn't been going on long. It just happened.... we went to a tree-lighting and Santa was there, and gave him (and me) a tiny candy cane. I let him eat one and stowed away another one. The next day we were at another event where there were pictures with Santa, and I wasn't sure how he'd react. Last year, he was a bundle of smiles and charm when he got his picture taken with Santa, but this year I thought he might be a little scared. And I really really really wanted a cute picture with Santa again. So, I had Auntie V put a candy cane in her pocket, just in case we needed it.

Turns out, he was a little apprehensive but he sat between the Clauses and got a picture taken like a champ. They gave him a tiny candy cane, too, which I let him eat immediately... I even taught him the words "candy cane" so he knew what to call the delicious treat.

Ok, so I didn't actually bribe my kid with candy, but I was fully prepared to if it was going to make the difference between a Santa picture and no Santa picture. So what's next? Am I going to start handing out M&Ms to get him to sit in the grocery cart? Gummy bears so I can finish a phone call? Chick-o-sticks to finish his homework and Airheads to take out the trash? Its a slippery slope, friends.... and while I may be able to find creative ways to get my kid to behave most of the time, I won't be totally surprised if someday I find myself with secret stashes of Dum-Dums in my purse for those moments when parenting skills are failing me.