I hoard Oreos.

It’s not just Oreos, either.  Sometimes I sneak ice cream into the freezer and stash it behind the asparagus.  If there are any Zingers to be had, they are most certainly on the top shelf of the pantry, often in a sack to mask them.  Behind the pretzels and tortilla chips – that’s where to look for the Cheddar Cheese Chex-Mix.

It seems utterly ridiculous, considering how much more easily my kids could metabolize all that junk than I can, but the good stuff doesn’t come out until after they are tucked snug in their beds.  During the day, when they want something tasty, I steer them to bananas, fruit snacks, and whole grain crackers.  I try to model good habits by eating granola and yogurt myself, at breakfast and snack times.  Then 9 o’clock hits, and I can be found building an architectural wonder out of peanut butter cup ice cream and hot fudge, or teasing my palate with different combinations of wine, cheese, and snack mixes.

I suppose a little moderation would mean sharing a reasonable portion of these goodies, on occasion, with the whole family.  But it works out much better for me, when the kids just never know that stuff is in the house.  When they do get wise to the box of donuts I have hidden in the fridge, I have to deal with, “Mom, can we have a donut?” in fifteen minute intervals, all day long (whether or not they’ve already had one).  Then I feel driven to consume the whole dozen by midnight, just so I won’t have to answer their endless inquiries the next day.

I have a snack habit.  I hoard to support it.  Sometimes I skip supper, just to free up some extra room for snacks.

John told them, "If you have two coats, give one to someone who doesn't have any. If you have food, share it with someone else." Luke 3:11