Why Did I Take My Kids' Halloween Candy?

So here's this thing that I don't think a lot of people would understand. It happened on Halloween night, right when the kids had just gotten back from trick-or-treating with full-to-the-brim plastic pumpkin buckets, filled to capacity with their candy haul. You know how it feels like an unspoken rule where you're not supposed to touch your kid's candy before they've even managed to sort through it? Yeah, well, I broke that rule pretty hard. Let me back up a bit, let’s say we had just gone over some ground rules earlier that day about limiting their intake. No more than two pieces at night for the little ones and one piece in the afternoon for the older kids. But when they came home last night, flushed with excitement and carrying what felt like mountains of candy, I saw my chance. I snuck a few of those fun-sized Milky Ways, my personal favorite, from each kid's bucket while they were busy sorting their loot into piles and deciding which ones to trade. Then, feeling guilty about it even as I stuffed the last piece in my mouth, I took one of my kids' brand new toothbrushes from the bathroom cabinet and hid them under my pillow. I knew it was wrong. Of course, I did. But there’s something about that forbidden candy that just feels oh-so-sweet when you know it shouldn’t be touched, like a little taste of rebellion wrapped in chocolate foil. The thing is, the kids are still none the wiser, and now my husband and I have more candy than we need to get through this holiday season. So here’s the confession: despite all the rules about respecting your child's personal space and property, sometimes when it comes down to a handful of fun-sized candies versus parental restraint, the latter doesn’t always win out.