The kids were watching something on TV while I was wrapping up my works cited page for my paper. I heard the screen door to the front door bang against the jamb and realized the kids were in the front yard. I looked at the clock, saw that it was 6 PM and decided it was time for dinner. As I entered the living room, I saw the remains of at least 20 vanilla sandwich cookies. Only the creme had been eaten with the actual cookies discarded around the room. Big Boy and Little Girl were playing on the front porch. Now, the rule is that they can play in the backyard by themselves, but they can only be in the front with an adult. I had both come in and clean up their mess. In the process of picking up cookie pieces and crumbs, I found an empty canister of Betty Crocker birthday sprinkle frosting with two spoons.
Now I was livid, but I held my cool. Well, kind of. I'm sure I raised my voice a bit. See, this is a recurring problem. Our sofa makes a nice hiding nook next to the wall. On multiple occasions, I have found Big Boy eating goodies in this "secret" spot: icecream, nutella, candy, cookies, graham crackers, etc. He usually makes a mess and he usually invites his sister to share. Isn't that nice of him? We have discussed the issues surrounding sneaking food. I mean, hey, it's me, Dad! I'm all for having treats every once in a while. What really peeved me about yesterday's incident, in particular, is that not two hours before had I made a big ice cream cone for Big Boy. I also had given him several cookies after his lunch.
Perhaps I should have been more diligent in watching them. It had been over an hour since I had checked in them. No matter. They needed to learn a lesson. For the first time as a parent, I grounded my kids to their room for the rest of the night. Sure, we have time outs, but I've never officially sent them to their room and grounded them. Little Girl kept saying, "Don't be mad, Daddy" in the sweetest, most gentle voice. Usually that just melts my heart and disarms me. Not tonight. I stuck to my guns. After an hour of boringness in their room, I went in and talked to them about what they had done wrong and why it was wrong. I toyed with the idea of making them go to bed without dinner, but I ended up giving them each a bowl of cereal. An hour later, they were both asleep.
As soon as Little Girl wakes up this morning, they are both going to clean the entire living room. Ugh. Helping the kids "clean" always requires more work on my part, but I suppose that's how they learn. Oh, they will also be paying for the cookies and frosting with their allowance. And, I think they won't be getting any treats for the next week. I still need to discuss that with The Chief.
Now I was livid, but I held my cool. Well, kind of. I'm sure I raised my voice a bit. See, this is a recurring problem. Our sofa makes a nice hiding nook next to the wall. On multiple occasions, I have found Big Boy eating goodies in this "secret" spot: icecream, nutella, candy, cookies, graham crackers, etc. He usually makes a mess and he usually invites his sister to share. Isn't that nice of him? We have discussed the issues surrounding sneaking food. I mean, hey, it's me, Dad! I'm all for having treats every once in a while. What really peeved me about yesterday's incident, in particular, is that not two hours before had I made a big ice cream cone for Big Boy. I also had given him several cookies after his lunch.
Perhaps I should have been more diligent in watching them. It had been over an hour since I had checked in them. No matter. They needed to learn a lesson. For the first time as a parent, I grounded my kids to their room for the rest of the night. Sure, we have time outs, but I've never officially sent them to their room and grounded them. Little Girl kept saying, "Don't be mad, Daddy" in the sweetest, most gentle voice. Usually that just melts my heart and disarms me. Not tonight. I stuck to my guns. After an hour of boringness in their room, I went in and talked to them about what they had done wrong and why it was wrong. I toyed with the idea of making them go to bed without dinner, but I ended up giving them each a bowl of cereal. An hour later, they were both asleep.
As soon as Little Girl wakes up this morning, they are both going to clean the entire living room. Ugh. Helping the kids "clean" always requires more work on my part, but I suppose that's how they learn. Oh, they will also be paying for the cookies and frosting with their allowance. And, I think they won't be getting any treats for the next week. I still need to discuss that with The Chief.
3 comments:
I am glad someone else had this problem. Several times the girls have snuck food in the early morning hours. They used to be so loud that I always caught them before they managed to actually eat anything. Now they are getting much more subtle and quiet. Sneaky!
In the spirit of full disclosure, I used to sneak Cool Whip from my Grandma's fridge and ate it behind her couch. I could never quite figure out how should could catch me, time and time again.
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