This is a cautionary tale about the WORST PARENTING DECISION EVER MADE.

For once, I didn't make it. My hubs did, and he will NEVER live it down.

Just over three years ago, the man I love was standing at the coffee pot, adding sugar to his mug. My son, around a year and a half old, hovered near his heels. Even at this young age, my son was chirping away about Bob the Builder and dinosaurs and who knows what all else. My husband, desperate for silence, did the unthinkable:

He dipped his wet spoon into the sugar bowl and handed it to my son like a lollypop.

*reee! reee! reee! reee! reee!*

First of all, this was still back in the days where I was pureeing tofu and sweet potato and freezing it in ice cube trays. Second, we had recently crossed the remembering threshold with this boy. New experiences didn't fade with a good night's sleep - no. He remembered EVERYTHING and often hammered us over the head with it the next morning and every day thereafter.

The boy's eyes lit up and he said "Mmmmmm. Soogah!"

I shot a panicked look at the hubs and said "What does he have?"

The hubs turned unconcerned eyes at me and said "I just put a little sugar on a spoon."

From knee level came "Soogah shpoon." A pudgy hand thrust the spoon skyward, where the kitchen light reflected off its shiny, wet, licked completely clean surface. "Mooooooore soogah shpoon!"

I picked up the boy and relieved him of the spoon in one sweeping movement. Dropping the spoon in the sink, I made for the living room to distract my squiggling child. The tantrum began ("SOOGAH!") as I neared the hall, and I shot a look at my husband that could have melted his nose off his face had he been man enough to meet my eyes.

And so it has come to pass, that in the three years since this seemingly minor incident took place - and I have NOT seen it happen again since the first time: I have had to deal with related tantrums, from all THREE children, on a weekly basis.

"Mom, can I have sugar on a spoon?"

"No."

"Remember when Daddy gave him some?"

"La la la, I can't hear you nananananana"

"Sugar! On a SPOOOOOON!"

"No, and time-out if you ask again."

"Waaaaaaah! No fair!"

"Blame Daddy."

Learn from me. If you are going to bribe with sugar, either do it before they will remember, or give them something that will stick their mouth shut.