The Candy Aisle

We were recently in the grocery store, and the girls were being particularly well-behaved. When we came to the candy aisle (which also happens to be the bread aisle, thank you evil product placement team) the girls were eyeing some jelly beans. They brought over a small bag and asked if they could PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE buy some. 

Before I could ask them if they had brought their wallets, a man and his son stopped right next to us. The man said, "oh girls, you don't want those. Candy puts holes in your teeth."

The look of shock and horror on their little faces was truly priceless. The man and his son laughed a little and walked on to the produce.

The girls were frozen, but you could see their minds churning, creating awful images of their teeth full of holes. Annabelle actually started to cry and they threw the jelly beans back on the shelf. 

I was elated. Not only was I not the one who had to say no, they also got a great lesson on dental hygiene. Score.  

Now, I should probably mention something about this stranger. He had a few holes in his face. Piercings in his nose, eyebrows, and some pretty large ones in his ears that you really couldn't overlook.  Tribal looking things like pieces of bone and such. When I thought the girls were thinking about what candy could do to their teeth, I don't think I was quite on point. 

The girls had been silent from the encounter in the candy aisle until we made it to the car. 

GRACE: Mama, I don't want to eat candy. 

BELLIE: Me either. I don't want holes in my teeth.

GRACE: And I'm not going to put candy on my face.

BELLIE: Me either. I REALLY don't want holes on my face.