"No Sugar for 30 Days" says Bracken

Yes, this is a picture of the bottom of our dumpster.  I felt silly taking the picture, but seeing those Jelly Beans at the bottom makes me so proud of our little man.  And humbles me.  And inspires me. Here's the story:

The kids and I spent another afternoon at our good friend's the Leavitt's.  I overheard Audrey (almost 6) telling Bracken about how their family isn't eating sugar right now but didn't think much of it.  Apparently Bracken did though.

We came home that night and Bracken said, "Mom, I'm not going to eat sugar for 30 days."
Me:  "Oh yeah? Why?"
Bracken:  I'm going to eat more nutritious food.  I want to be healthy so I don't get sick and can play at my friend's house.  Audrey got a beautiful music box after not eating sugar for 30 days.  I think I'd rather have a fast Lightning McQueen car.  I will only eat sugar on birthdays and the holidays Audrey tells me."

I thought, but certainly did not say "Sure Bud.  If you don't eat sugar for 30 days you can have whatever you want, because there is no way you'll stick to it."

The next morning I dished the kids' current favorite breakfast of oatmeal into his bowl.  I added a scoop of brown sugar and started to stir it in when Bracken hollers, "WAIT!! I'm not eating sugar.  I can have honey, but not sugar in my oatmeal Mom."

A few minutes later he was digging in our pantry to find a bag of jelly beans I'd bought the day before at an after Easter sale for the kids.  "I can't eat these.  I'll put them in the garbage."  I might have been tempted to take them out of the house garbage and put them in my secret stash, but he threw them in our dumpster.

Since then he has been offered cupcakes, doughnuts, candy, and fruit snacks, and without any pressure from us has chosen not to eat them.  He had the idea to make a little chart with 30 squares, and at the end of each day he puts a sticker on a square to show he didn't eat sugar.  He made another chart with drawings of all sorts of fruits, vegetables and beans to show me his favorite healthy foods.  He adds extra handfuls of spinach to our green smoothies "because I want more nutrients, Mom."

Today was his 5th "no sugar" day.  He has so much determination and self-control.  I usually think I need to teach my children, and often find they are teaching me.