Does anyone notice how often I talk about sweets in my posts? I’ve discussed chocolate, Starbursts, Strawberry Butter, etc…I might delve deeper into that another day, but my learning lesson yesterday came from a bag of Skittles.

Skittles are delicious. That’s an unequivocal fact. I love them and so does my daughter, but they are deemed contraband in the Hurst household. Why? Because Lexi has been blessed with a healthy set of teeth from birth and every dental check-up came back clean and clear…until we heard the news of the dreaded lone cavity last year. Yes, I do realize that cavities are a part of life, but the dentists suggested that she lay off the “chewy” candies. The ones that stick to your teeth and cause the bacteria to grow and develop cavities.

I am a black and white kind of girl. If the dentist says get rid of the chewy candy, then we purge our pantry of all things chewy-fruit snacks, fruit roll-ups, Starbursts, and yes, Skittles. For the most part, Lexi has handled the change well for a five-year-old, but she was faced with temptation this week. My sister was visiting from out of town and stopped for gas with Lexi in the car, and she said the words that are so near and dear to my daughter’s heart. “Lexi, you can pick out something from the gas station.” I had not provided my sister with the “Hurst Contraband List” so she was wholly unaware that Lexi was going to eat the forbidden fruit.

She came home with a bag of Skittles-not the regular variety but the special, tropical version. And she gave me the look, the one that says, “Look, Mommy, I have Skittles even though I know I’m not supposed to eat them, but I couldn’t help myself when I was in the gas station and saw them.” What she actually said was, ‘Mommy, please can I have some Skittles. I promise I’ll just lick them.” Although you might find it inconsistent, I’m okay with her licking them. That way, they don’t stick to her teeth.

Okay, Lex, you can have five Skittles, but you have to give Mommy six of them. Then the pouting began. “Why do you get six?” And all you parents out there know I pulled the trump card. Because I’m older and I’m bigger than you.

Is it fair? Absolutely not. Grownups are no less prone to get cavities than children. And I did in fact tell her that life isn’t always going to be fair so are you going to recognize it and deal with it, or are you going to pout about it. Think carefully because I have the power to make the Skittles disappear.

She dealt with it and went on her merry way. I felt bad though. It’s true. Life isn’t fair and we all know this and have had some painful experiences that have beaten it into our heads. You want to know why I felt bad? In this situation, I had the ability to make it fair, and I chose to arbitrarily make a decision that was unfair. That’s something entirely different than a child born with severe health issues or a parent getting laid off from a job they love because of the economy.

It was a Skittle. I tried to teach my daughter a life lesson in a Skittle. It wasn’t worth it.

But the extra Skittle was good. It was Green Apple.

What would you have done?