Garbage woes

Please don't tell my children, but I have a habit of throwing out most sugary treats that come into our house. Now don't get me wrong, if you brought me a homemade cake or cookies (or something along that line) I certainly wouldn't be trashing the fruits of your labour. In fact, I wouldn't even begrudge you; the truth is that I would probably eat whatever you had given me before the rest of the family realised that someone had even knocked at the door. BUT, if you throw candy canes at me (read: holiday parades), or send me bags of lollipops, there is a good chance that my conscience will not be bothered by the squeak of the garbage can lid. However, as with most things, my kids are on to me. In this case, the township is helping them. You see the new year brought with it a new policy regarding the disposal of our garbage. Everybody's in on it. Even the local paper lended its main page to a photo of the grocery store owner posing with a display of clear garbage bags. That's right, the nanny state is extending its reach once again and even our waste is on display. Clearly no one thought to inform us mommies that this might cause a little ruckus on the home front. I have a habit of leaving full garbage bags at the mudroom door. The idea is that someone passing through that door might think to grab the garbage bag and deposit it in the outside bin. So, this morning I left the bag in its usual location only to re-enter the room and discover Joe and Ben staring and pointing wildly at the bag of garbage. "Whatever could be the problem?" I thought. I looked a little more closely and followed their pudgy fingers to the source of their dismay. Ah, yes. One full, still in its wrapper, tootsie roll lollipop displayed amidst soiled diapers and kitchen waste ... yet still desirable. Clearly, I am outdone.