He Was Monitoring His Sugar Intake.
Shane came home from church, excited about the rest of his day.
“You have ping pong lessons,” I said to him. Shane loves ping pong. He’s started taking it seriously, and improved by leaps and bounds in a matter of weeks.
“I know,” he said. “Then am I going anywhere?”
I told him he was going to the local haunted trails with Bill after ping pong. A whole evening of fun-filled haunts awaited him. “AND…” I said, emphasizing the very exciting next point I wanted to make. “You can get ice cream after ping pong if you want!”
“No ice cream!” Shane said, shocking everyone within hearing range.
NO ice cream? What kind of kid says “no” to ice cream? And more confusing – since when has Shane ever refused ice cream?
“Why not?” I asked. “Why don’t you want ice cream?”
“Well, I had two cookies at church already,” Shane said. “And I want to buy a soda at the concession stand later.”
He was monitoring his sugar intake.
This is not new for Shane, really. He rarely refuses ice cream, but he is very careful about how much sugar he eats. He still eats too much, but he is very aware of how much sugar, exactly, he eats every day.
So on this day, he had already consumed some cookies – and it was barely noon. Then later, he bought a soda and drank about half of it. He saved the rest for later.
Sometimes he gets a sweetened ice tea in his lunchbox. It takes him about a week to finish one 12-ounce bottle.
For me, sugar is a problem. I see it; I eat it. I don’t have a regulator. If I quit eating sugar for a few days, I am less likely to be tempted by it. But I rarely eat anything – especially sugar – in moderation.
Shane is teaching me new things every day. When I grow up, I want to be more like him.