“Mom, no more sweets! I went into the closet looking for snacks for the girls’ lunches and almost all of the snacks are gone. The eating of sweets has to stop,” my daughter lamented to me during one of our early morning phone conversations. I think of these 7:21 AM phone calls as a time-filler for her as she navigates through heavy traffic on her way to work. I listened as she conveyed her concerns over the girls having too many sweets, but at the same time, I looked across the room at the ready to mail package containing chocolate nonpareils, mini boxes of candy, and chocolate covered pretzels. What to do? Time for some creative thinking.

I totally understood her concerns. I saw firsthand the effects sweets have upon a child’s body. During my teaching tenure, I used to include a variety of nonstructured activities in my November 1st lesson plans. Why fight the uncontrollable energy effervescing in the bodies of children who consumed M&Ms, Reese’s Pieces, Peeps, and the host of treats that filled both their buckets and bellies the evening before. Yes, I understood, but it is Halloween and I do have a package ready to mail…

I decided that it was time to play the elderly role, one that I usually refrain from playing, but age does have its benefits. I took a whimsical approach and included the following poem in the package and sent it from my husband and me (always good to have a partner in crime).

A Halloween Message

We know your mother said “No Sweets!”

She said it very loud and clear.

But something happens as we age

We find it very hard to hear.

Please tell her not to yell at us.

We really couldn’t help ourselves

When we were walking through the store,

These treats came jumping off the shelves.

So Happy Halloween, sweet girls.

We think about you every day.

We sent these treats to tell you both

We love you more than words can say.

Three days later my daughter called to tell me she took a video of the girls opening the package. She laughingly told me that she wasn’t going to yell at me. How could she? Their happiness filled both the room and her heart. When my husband and I saw the video of the girls reading the poem and excitedly dumping out the contents of the package, our hearts were also filled with joy. Sometimes it pays to be disobedient (but never tell that to a child).