Every kid probably got in some type of trouble because a full and tempting cookie jar was sitting on the kitchen counter and Mom was nowhere in sight. You will recall Mom sought your restraint so you did not spoil your appetite for dinner, but these were cookies — chocolate chip, no less — and they were just sitting there and all you needed to do was lift the lid on the jar and the cookies were yours. Some of you obeyed your mom and showed responsible restraint. Others saw no harm in making one cookie disappear — unless you were as clumsy a thief as I was and your dad asked about the chocolate around your mouth. Often, Mom would not notice that one cookie was missing because it was not obvious, and you had not taken the whole jar. But then there were these kids (five in all) who came up with a grand plan on how to get more than just one. They went to the cookie jar, took all of the cookies, and as they were going out the door to savor their catch, Mom saw them.  They were scolded and told there would not be any cookies for the rest of the year.  Then they put into action the rest of their scheme. Four of them told Mom they would like to make a deal. The deal was they would put half the cookies back in the jar and keep the other half because they were hungry and dinner was not going to be for a loooong time.  They pointed out that Spencer down the street gets all the cookies he wants and he still eats dinner. Erin’s parents never put a restriction on afternoon goodies. It is just not fair that we don’t get as many cookies as they do. Now, I don’t know how your mom would have handled the situation, but if you grew up in my neighborhood, you not only were required to put all the cookies back, but there was at least an apology due and probably some missed dessert. And so the message to our illustrious Cookie Monsters is very simple: Put the cookies back. Not just some, all. You knew what the rules were when you wanted to “serve.” So abide by the rules. Tom Jacobson Park City The post Lessons from the cookie jar appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less