Hopping children up on caffeine. Apparently it’s frowned upon.
Last Thanksgiving I got my 16mo godson hooked on Starbucks Holiday frappaccinos.
It was completely accidental. I didn’t particularly want to share. But he took them anyway. And he went through caffeine withdrawal because of them.
Oops.
Fast forward to the present, and I take my nephew to the zoo.
We rode the carousel.
We rode the train.
We sat and watched the rock climbing wall and high ropes course — and he got hungry. So I dug out the snacks that I’d grabbed from the drawer at home labeled “NEPHEW.” I didn’t even look at what I grabbed — a couple granola bars, good to go. I hand him the granola bar and after opening it, I realize: I have just given him a caffeinated Cliff bar.
Oh, not again. Well…maybe there isn’t that much caffeine in a——
NEPHEW! WHERE YOU GOING?!
“The monkeys! Now! Let’s go!!”
Boy races off, jumping off everything in sight.
Crap. Definitely enough caffeine in the Cliff bar to string out the nephew.
I then proceed to chase him around the monkey cages, distract him from jumping into the pond with the flamingoes, and herd him towards the exit. Let’s get you into the car before you go through withdrawal….
