The power of candy

So.... all my hard work was almost challenge in a split second.

I had to take our van in for some work and the place we went happens to be in our mall. So during the hour and half wait I took the kids to the play area in the mall. My nightmare as I am not a mall person AT ALL. The kids were having a blast though, running around, playing on the toys, and with the other kids. Toward the end of our time there Atty and his brother were talking to some other kids and their parent. I was watching them and helping their baby sister on a toy. I look up at them, then down to Lala {nickname} and then back up at them. At that moment I realize that Spike {nickname} is putting something in his mouth and Atty is about to! I said "Atticus Stop" sternly and loudly so that everyone was looking at me. It was a bit embarrassing but I need him to understand the importance of what I was saying. I called him over and in his hand was a candy! Candy, the thing I have been strictly avoiding because of his diet. The last place on earth I thought he would get his hands on something restricted was here. Really it hadn't even crossed my mind, and I'm normally on high alert for this sort of thing. You are not even suppose to have food or drink in the play area! All the get togethers we have gone to where I have followed him like a shadow making sure to tell people about his diet and enlisting others to help me keep an eye on him. All the get togethers we have skipped to keep the stress of the diet down. I was in shock. I quickly took the candy away {It was just a little thing, but after coming so far on this diet I refuse to risk it.} and told him why. Briefly and to the point, then I let him know that he could have one of his treats when we got home. He accepted this and didn't throw a fit or anything. I would have understood if he had, because he hasn't been handed candy in a year and he is a kid after all! Candy is candy, and we all love it and one point or another. I was so proud of him. Because I was in shock and because I'm too freaking polite I didn't say a thing to the man who gave them candy. He didn't speak a lot of English anyways so trying to explain Atty's diet and all wouldn't have worked out very well. He seemed really sorry and said so, but I just could not believe that he gave anything to my kids! I sort of thought it was an unspoken rule that you don't feed other people's kids. The part that really upset me the most frankly was that they even took candy from a stranger in the first place. I know I was there so they felt comfortable, but we have had so many talks about this sort of thing. To see how easily it is all forgotten is disturbing! We had a talk about it after leaving and will be discussing it daily for a while to really sink some lessons about strangers into their little heads. I'm not one for scaring my children about strangers, but I do believe in teaching them about stranger safety. Which is why I was so upset at how easily they accepted something from a stranger. Candy, it is powerful and that power is scary!