sneaking food

Yesterday morning, I came downstairs to find Truett lying behind the couch, with an empty honey bottle dangling from his hand, honey dripping from his chin. I briefly considered turning back around and pretending that I hadn't seen anything. Avoidance and ignorance have their benefits. But then I came to my senses and realized that I couldn't let this go. So I walked closer and waited for Tru to realize I was there. He started guiltily but couldn't keep the smile off of his face. I asked him what he was doing and he said, "Eating some honey." (Kids are always so good at stating the obvious.)
We had a chat about why taking the honey off of the counter and drinking it was wrong. Thankfully it had been mostly empty anyways but still. He was told that he couldn't have any special snacks for that day and that he shouldn't take food without asking.
Then, a few days later, I came downstairs to find the step stool sitting in front of one of the kitchen cupboards. Sam had been using it the night before to hang curtain rods and had left it in the dining room. Tru had been upstairs with me so I knew he wasn't the culprit. I looked at Jem and asked him why he had moved the stool. He hemmed and hawed for a little bit and then admitted to taking a piece of gum. So I went through the same thing with him.
These are really the first food sneaking incidents that we've had but I know more will be coming. I used to sneak food and so did my brother. I remember sneaking chocolate chips when I could find my dad's secret stash. My brother hid cans of cranberry sauce in his room one year, worried that he wouldn't get his fill at Thanksgiving. In fact, if I'm being honest, I still do it. I grab something that I don't want the kids to have and try to eat it while they are out of the room. It must be in the genes.
It definitely makes me more careful about what I leave out on the counter top and it also motivated me to put the step stool away rather than just continuing to walk around it. There is always a bright side to everything it seems. Who knew?

photo by: danmachold  http://www.flickr.com/photos/mybloodyself/2085880298/ (changes by me)