If I could, I’d eat nothing but snacks.

Sure, I’d miss cheeseburgers and steak and Al Di La and sushi and all that, but give me a bag of chips – or even some raw broccoli – and a jar of french onion dip and I’m set for life.

This predilection for constant nibbling in between meals makes my role as a parent difficult. Because I am forced to stop my kids from doing the same. (Especially when it’s my snacks they’re stealing!)

Snacks, and snack time, are an essential part of parenting.

No parent worth a damn leaves the house without snacks.  Nothing ruins your day more than a hangry kid (except maybe one who missed his nap), and snacks are the primary weapon against it. Because while it’s not always easy to get a toddler to sit down and eat an actual meal, he’ll happily smash a cup of dry cereal or snatch the pretzels out of your hand. And so you must always have them available and at the ready.

Along with the tons of other stuff you have to bring along every time you go anywhere.

Every mom and dad quickly comes to terms with the fact that when their children arrived, spontaneity died, and packing light became a thing of the past.

The list of items you have to cram into your diaper bag, cargo shorts, underneath the stroller or in the backseat of the car is endless, regardless of whether you’re walking three blocks to the park or going on a twelve-hour road trip. And small portions of food are absolute staples.

(Other staples? Diapers, wipes, a change of clothes, juice boxes, milk, a toy or four, a tablet, crayons, a muzzle, maybe a leash, tranquilizer darts, earplugs, your passport in case you need to flee…)

As you know, lately Detective Munch has been partial to Teddy Soft Bakes, particularly the ones with chocolate filling, mostly because he likes decapitating bears. So we always make sure there’s a bear or two in his backpack when we head to a museum, because the last thing we need in the hallowed halls of the Met is a full-on meltdown from a starving six-year-old.

I’m slightly more partial to salty snacks, so the Soft Bakes are a safe way for my son to get something in his stomach without Daddy vulturing it – despite the fact that I’ll eat anything that involves chocolate! (Not that personal preference has ever stopped him from desperately needing to eat whatever I have, even if it’s something he is sure to hate.) Although I do love harming bears (not really), and am so sick of the kid bogarting my snacks, that I’ll occasionally indulge.

But I’ll never eat the last one, not when we’re out somewhere together. It’s a foolish parent who risks the wrath of a hungry child!

I would let my son eat one of my toes if that’s what it took to stave off a public tantrum. Thankfully, Teddy Soft Bakes taste a lot better than toes.

NOT THAT I HAVE ANY IDEA!

Disclosure: I’m sharing Teddy Soft Bakes in my life as part of a sponsored series for Socialstars™ #myfirstTeddy #discoverTeddy