Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Fruit Snacks Got Me Through The Toddler Years

As per usual I dropped the boys off at preschool this morning and headed to the grocery store. I spend way too much time and money there. It seems we are always out of  something. Today  I was in search of granola bars, and as I reached up for a box of them I noticed the varying array of fruit snacks on the adjacent shelf. It took me back to a year, or so, ago when I used to hoard those things in large batches.  They were stashed everywhere.  My pantry, purse, console of my van were all bulging from a large assortment of fruit snacks, and just like any addict, I would start to panic if my reserve got too low. 

While other, more health conscious, mothers were doling out carrot sticks or veggie wafers, I was opening a package of artifically flavored fruit snacks, which  do not contain any meaningful content of real fruit or sometimes any fruit. What they were lacking in nutritional value though, they more than made up for with their power to stop a temper tantrum in its tracks. My toddler would throw himself to the ground, and just as he started flopping around like a fish out of water, I'd be fumbling in my bag , praying that I had at least one more package in there ... I needed a fix and I needed it STAT!! Then my hand would tightly clench the little package and I'd utter those magical words, "Do you want a fruit snack?" and like magic he'd stop in mid tantrum to look up and shake his head yes.  Crisis averted! They were priceless when it came to  derailing an oncoming tantrum, or when waiting in a long line and sometimes even just to keep them quiet so that I could have a moment of peace. This of course led to our families addiction to fruit snacks.

We have since overcome our addiction and we are now a household free of fruit snacks, but I'll always think back on  them fondly. So here I stand before the great fruit snack makers, and I bow my head in thanks. Thank you for helping me hold onto a bit of sanity during those insane toddler years!

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