Eyes big as saucers, looking on the Technicolor array of candy goodness at Dylan’s Candy Bar in New York City, I had to remind myself that I was the responsible adult.
It was so tempting to fill bags and bags of candy to take home.
Fortunately, the kids and I had had a talk before entering the store. I’d agreed to take them to the places that they wanted to visit in NYC during the Winter Break Week – Dylan’s and Nintendo World Store. In exchange, they had to visit “educational” sites with a minimum of fuss, and they had to limit their spending to their available savings.
The spending limit forced the kids to make choices about their purchases all through the week. Mostly, they deferred buying items so that they could save it for shopping at Dylan’s and Nintendo on the last day of the trip.
Having set a spending limit for each child, as their role model, I had to set a good example in the candy store. I couldn’t just buy everything in sight. That would have undermined their restraint.
It wasn’t easy to show good judgment in a store stocked with three floors chock full of every kind of candy imaginable. Displaying temperance in the face of sweet temptation may just be one of the biggest challenges I have ever faced as a mom.
Go See It!
Looking back at this video which I shot with the kids at Dylan’s Candy Bar in 2009, I’m beginning to wonder just how much sugar I consumed while filming. There’s a spastic, jerky quality that suggests a major sugar high. But, in my defense, it’s hard to resist temptation in this candy shop.
Dylan’s Candy Bar 1011 3rd Ave(between 60th St & 61st St)
New York, NY 10021
Neighborhood: Upper East Side
(646) 735-0078 www.dylanscandybar.com