Most Saturdays when I was a small child, I would go shopping with my mom at the Safeway Grocery Store in the Snider Plaza shopping center near our home in Dallas, Texas.

And every time we’d go, I would ask her the same question as we neared the end of our trip: “Can I have a Baby Ruth?”

Every time the answer was the same: “No.”

Not “maybe.” Not “if you’re a good boy!” Not “No, but let let me explain my reasoning to you.” A simple, declarative “No.”

It’s one of the best lessons I ever learned.

Actually, there are several lessons I learned. Among them:

• “No” is a complete sentence.
• Parents can and should use the authority they have.
• Money matters and shouldn’t be used carelessly.
• But most of all, just because you want something and you want it now does not mean that you should have it all, much less immediately.

In other words, I learned something about delaying gratification.

I think it’s one of those lessons where I need a refresher course. And maybe you do, too.

In any event, thanks Mom.