Candy gets a bad rap. I guess because it’s
jammed full of sugar. According to reports, “Sugar is bad for your teeth, it
causes heart disease, it causes cancer…” (really?)
Well, you can find
redeeming qualities in just about anything (or anyONE, for that matter) if you
look hard enough.
We used to reward our kids with an
M&M every time they “went” during the potty training epoch. Ok, it’s
bribery but I don’t think a floret of broccoli would have produced the same
behavior.
I believe that the encouragement of good behavior is a redeeming quality of candy
but some may argue that encouraging words would have been better. Ok, how about
this?
Last week I was supposed to continue my
training for the upcoming half-marathon with a run through the orchard but
after a long day at work in the hot sun I was completely drained of energy. My
running partner (the son-in-law) couldn’t go that night so I had a built-in
excuse to skip out. My body screamed “rest” and my brain screamed, “run.”
As the two of them argued I considered
other options. I could pay bills, fold laundry, unload the dishwasher... Finally,
against my better judgment, I put on my running clothes and grabbed a handful
of peanut M&M’s.
Fifteen minutes later I was out the
door. That’s right. Just like potty training… I “went.”
So, did the M&M’s encourage the
“good behavior”? Well, I did run that night and I did have the energy to go the
distance. No amount of verbal encouragement, or broccoli florets, could have done
that.
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