Emergency Lollipops Rescue This Dad from Son’s Tantrums

I have one in my bag. I have one in my jacket pocket. I have one in the stroller. I have a couple in my car. I have some in the pantry. I get a couple every time I go to the bank. I don’t have a belfry, but if I did, I’d probably stash a couple there.

I’m not talking about bats, phone chargers, or $20 dollar bills. I’m talking about Emergency Lollipops.

My 3 1/2-year-old son has a giant sweet tooth and an inordinate stubborn streak.  He often refuses to eat, claiming that he isn’t hungry. He then throws a fit about things that have little consequence. But the real reason he’s throwing the fit is that he’s hungry, but doesn’t want to eat or acknowledge that he’s hungry.

Does this sound familiar?

I have found that I can often head off his emotional depth charges by judicious application of Emergency Lollipops.  If he’s crying or yelling, I can usually get him to turn it around by “turning on the siren”, bringing out the lollipop, and making a little joke as I hand it to him. He’s tickled by the idea of Emergency Lollipops — that it’s coming to the rescue, his rescue.

I offer him his food first, of course.  But he often won’t take it. The good news is he often doesn’t want the whole thing.  He’ll have it for a little while, and then get tired of it (he hasn’t figured out how to bite into it yet, for which I am thankful.)  And then after that, he’ll take a drink, and then sometimes even eat the granola bar or strawberries that I’ve brought for him.

Back when he was a baby and was entirely consumed by the need for a binky, I had the same policy with binkies. I stashed them everywhere. They were like Tim Horton’s in Canada — I tried to put one at every intersection.

So what emergency provisions do you have stashed? Please post about them in the comments!