No More Cookies

"Well, looks like you have a bad tummy ache," Charlotte said, rubbing Angelica's back. The 3 year old had come to her complaining of cramps in her belly and Charlotte had taken her to the bathroom, letting her lean over the toilet in case she got sick. She hadn't but Angelica was still miserable. "Now, I noticed when we were heading in here that the cookie jar was empty… and I'd just put more cookies in there. Who do you think ate all the cookies?"

"T-Tommy?" Angelica suggested weakly.

"No, I don't think so."

"Chuckie?"

"Nope."

"Phil and-" Angelica groaned, "the other one?"

"I doubt it."

Angelica whimpered as her stomach clenched again. "Mommy… I ate all the cookies."

"Mmmhmmm. And did you learn why mommy has told you again and again you can't have all the cookies you want?" Angelica just moaned.

"Wow," Tommy said to Phil and Lil, watching from the doorway, "Angelica seems really sick from eating all those cookies."

"Yeah," Phil said. "I didn't know you could get a tummy ache from eating yummy things!"

"Why would yummy things hurt you?" Lil asked.

"Uh… I don't know," Tommy said, scratching his little bald head. "But they did hurt Angelica."

"Do you think she'll be okay, Tommy?"

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Tommy said bravely. "And when she's all better things will go completely back to normal! That's how it always goes, right?"

~MC~MC~MC~MC~

"Honestly I think it's a long overdue move," Didi said, not noticing the babies having stopped their play as she dumped all the cookies that had been in the cookie jar into a plastic bag that she put on the highest shelf in the cupboard.

"This was a wake up call," Charlotte said. "All the kids are getting into things now. What if Tommy had eaten all those cookies? He could have gotten even more sick than Angelica. And that's ignoring the fact that just trying to get them could cause them to get hurt."

"And I honestly hate how cookies taste from a cookie jar. They get stale and there are old crumbs and… well, this is just the best solution. They stay fresher and we control when they get them." Didi took the cookie jar to the sink to wash out before putting it in storage.

Tommy could only stare in horror. "No… no more cookie jars?"

"Can they do that?" Chuckie asked.

"I think they just did," Lil said sadly.

"But," Tommy exclaimed, "how are we supposed to sneak cookies after lunchtime now? Or get a snack after supper? Or eat all the cookies we want after an adventure?!"

"I don't think we can anymore," Chuckie said.

Tommy just stood there.

…

"WAAAAA!" he balled, the other babies joining him.