February Is For Lovers

Lovers of chocolate, at least. Good grief. All this temptation. I really cannot be expected to not eat a pound of chocolate a day. (I only did that once.)

How did chocolate become the official food of February, by the way? Is it because chocolate is supposed to be an aphrodisiac? Let me tell you, it's not. If it were, I'd be the horniest person on the face of the earth. (I lied. I have actually eaten a pound of chocolate in one sitting a couple of many times.) If chocolate is such an aphrodisiac, why give it to children? That's just twisted.

I know some of you will argue that chocolate (and other candy) shouldn't be given to kids at all, anyway. I don't want to get into that with anyone. I gave/give/will continue to give my kids candy. They're fine.

But now that you mention it, I do think it's weird when people buy the expensive chocolate for their babies. I see that frequently. The mom is standing in line and the two year old reaches for the candy on the counter, so the mom buys a Ghirardelli chocolate bar for the baby, when the kid would have been happy with a Hersheys. Maybe they are trying to instill good taste in the child? I don't know.

At least they're buying it. I have seen so many people allow their children to graze on the candy at the registers and then try to get away without paying for the candy. That's stealing, people. You're teaching your children to shoplift. The same goes for those people who grab a bag of candy to keep their kids quiet while they shop and then toss the empty bag on the shelf somewhere without paying for it. Shoplifting.

That's some 5-star mothering, there. And it's not the younger generation, either. (Although, there is a prevailing sentiment among a lot of young people that I have met that, if you're not caught, it's not stealing. Many of the shoplifters I have caught in our own store had the attitude of "Everyone steals. It's up to the store to catch them. If they don't catch them, that's on them." No. Sorry. That's still a crime.)

This is what you're setting
your kids up for, people!

No, it's parents who are in their 30's and 40's who are teaching their children to steal like that. Seriously. One child recently opened 4 separate packages of candy and ate from them while standing in line. His mother saw it (and even handed one to him, according to two other customers). When the cashier told the mother she'd seen it and would have to charge her for the candy, the mom just shrugged like it was no big deal. Then she grabbed 3 of the packages and paid for them. (She couldn't even be honest about that!)

This is why the world is such an awful place, people. Because parents like these give zero fucks about teaching their children right from wrong. I'm not trying to be old fashioned here, but I cannot see how someone could possibly believe it was ok to steal--or to teach your children to steal.

But I digress. What was the original train of thought? Oh yes. February is for lovers. Of chocolate. Hm. I was thinking of Chocolate Lava Cake for a Valentine's Day dinner. What are you planning?