Why I Hide Candy From My Kids and You Should Too

I could feel it coming, it was just a running nose, then a cough, then I could hear the wheezing and slowly the appetite was starting to wane. Any mother knows the signs of the dreaded cold. It was creeping into our household and I was on high alert with my essential oils, diffusing On Guard in the living room and rubbing down each of the kids with more oils.

I was determined to beat it, it’s just a cough, it will pass and it will not disrupt our homeschool day. Then she uttered those words that any parent who has a child that is prone to ear infections dread, “my ear hurts.” No!!!

That cold had infested our house and got to the two younger kids and it could only get worse before it got better. I knew this, yet, I still had hope that I would fare better than the rest and I would come out of it unscathed. Because we all know that once the mom goes down, chaos erupts.

There are sudden waves of hunger and insatiable appetites to quench and needs that have to be met right away, not to mention the whining, oh the whining. He’s touching me, she did it first, he started it. I could not go down.

I had a ton of work to get done and right then, as she tugged at her ear, I knew I was not going to get any of it done.

The next day brought a visit to the doctor’s to ensure my son had clear airways. He was on his puffers but they were doing little and because he’s prone to chest infections that also meant a trip to get chest x-rays done. No food and coughing fits meant my guy was not going to be a happy camper. My daughter’s ear infection meant a sleepless night, because who needs sleep if they’re going to fight off a cold right?

So on over to the pharmacy to get some medication and cough drops and without any of the kids in tow, I snatched up a bag of gummy worms. My candy of choice is anything that is a sour candy, ie worms, keys or peaches. I could eat them all day, every day.

I had absolutely no intention of sharing this with my kids and jammed it to the bottom of my bag. I didn’t even want to risk my husband seeing it so I zipped up my bag to ensure it was fully closed.

How dare I, say you? You have sick kids at home, how dare you hide candy from them. At least share it with your hubby. My hubby is two times my size, there are 3 kids ok, once they get their hands on my candy I’m left with one worm and possibly a half bitten one that my daughter likes to share with me.

I’m sorry but for the day that I was going to have ahead of me, 1 and possibly a half worms wasn’t going to cut it.

My daughter deteriorated and became whiny and only wanted to sit and cuddle. While I love cuddles that means no work for mama which wasn’t horrible so we sat and watched a movie. She fell asleep on me and woke up each time I tried to move her off. This meant no meals were being prepped or washroom breaks so I enjoyed a book.

My oldest son stepped in and helped with some chores and started dinner. My other son was lethargic and still coughing often, not eating and not in the best of moods. When my daughter started crying, I used this opportunity to run to the washroom and grab a drink, I also got to my stash of candy that was hidden in the kitchen cupboard. I made sure no one was looking and downed a gummy worm. Best tasting relief ever. It was the most delicious piece of candy I had and it hit the best spot.

Gummy candies are my chocolate, my coffee, my tea, my whatever it is I need to get through one of those days. Do you love candy too but can’t get two bites in with the kids around? I suggest you find a place to keep your secret stash because when you just want to scream into a pillow or you’re exhausted, or you’re just plain old tired of the whining and fighting, it’s a great pick me up.

I sat down next to my daughter and she asked me what that smell was. She could smell my candy, lol. I told her I had a glass of juice, although we only had apple juice at the time, I’m not sure why it would smell like candy.

What’s your candy?

What’s you’re one thing that enlightens your day or gets you through the rough patches? Coffee or chocolate? While I strive to cut out things that aren’t as healthy for me I believe in moderation and guys when you’re stress levels are up, this solution is way better than getting angry, stressed out or alcohol.

So the next time you’re in the candy aisle, grab a bag and don’t let anyone else see it. You never know when you’ll need it.

5 Ways to Encourage Sibling Love