Caught!

I walked into the kitchen to find this strategically placed on the counter by my four year old son.

He gets an A for effort - he even opened up the jar and that is not easy for little hands to do.

He does this once in a while.  Places items of food or drink on the counter when I'm not there and then disappears...as a not so subtle hint. It's usually things that he thinks I might say no to.  Food or drink items that I consider a once in a while indulgence.  (I've also found him 'hiding' underneath the kitchen table with a large spoon and container of Cool Whip.  Then there was that other time that he convinced his brother to join him up on the counter to eat a bag of marshmallows while I was trying to catch the last few minutes of the Regis and Kelly finale folding laundry upstairs - but ha! caught them in the act! They think they're sooo sneaky.)

No need to point out all the fatal parenting flaws going on in this picture.
A big fat parenting FAIL all over the place here.

I'm obviously not against this chocolate spread - being that it's in my cupboards and all.  And though I'm not a big fan of it myself due to having over indulged in it by about a thousand spoonfuls 4 years ago when my Danish neighbours introduced it to me, I can understand why it's appealing for most people, especially kids. (okay, okay.  So there may have been times since when I'm feeling a bit crazy for lack of chocolate and I grab a few fingerfuls spoonful.)

I'm not saying that I don't allow him have it on toast for breakfast once in a blue moon...(I'll admit that when it's the third week of my husband being away on business and he's having a freak out about needing to have a cookie for breakfast I'll hand it over without a second thought.  Child wears me down some days.) I would just rather him choose to eat something with a bit more nutritional value.

Like the Eggo waffles doused in butter and syrup that he had instead.  (Alright - so in my defense the waffles were whole wheat and the syrup was the delicious Canadian 'real' kind - which! by the way! is loaded with antioxidants!)

Anyway...I'm not sure of my point here.  I guess I just thought it was adorable and wanted to remember this as something he often does now before I forget and before he stops doing it.

Also?  When I went to look for him after finding the Nutella on the counter, I found him upstairs with suspicious smudges around his mouth that looked a lot like chocolate.

"What's that around your mouth Aidy?"

He looked in the nearby mirror then back at me with an expression that could only be described as sheepish.

Poor child of mine.

He obviously got his chocoholic tendencies from yours truly.

Excuse me while I go make my son a long overdue Nutella sandwich.