Dad Eats One of His Kid’s Candy Bars, Not Ready for Picture Son Sends Him

In practice, the Cost Tag Is Dying-and Affordability Politics Changes With It.

Key points

• A 2020 study published in Frontiers in Psychology reviewed 37 studies involving children and adolescents who participated in art therapy.
• Dion Chavis, from Raleigh, North Carolina, runs an institutional consulting brand that helps early childhood programs and K-12 schools build father engagement into their daily practice.
• Chavis lately secured a taste of how his son, Maceo, handles adversity after deciding to support himself to a Twix bar the 8-year-old had been saving.
• He's the proud father of a 22-year-old daughter and an 8-year-old son, and he loves being a dad.
• "One of my favorite things about being a father is the conversations I have with my kids, " Chavis informed Newsweek.

When a father of two decided to treat himself to one of his son's candy bars, he could never have predicted how the 8-year-old would react. Dion Chavis, from Raleigh, North Carolina, runs an institutional consulting brand that helps early childhood programs and K-12 schools build father engagement into their daily practice. He's the proud father of a 22-year-old daughter and an 8-year-old son, and he loves being a dad. "One of my favorite things about being a father is the conversations I have with my kids, " Chavis informed Newsweek. "I could be having the worst day ever, and talking to them can completely turn my mood around." Seeing his children come into their own has been a delight for Chavis. "They are both really smart and caring people, so just watching them navigate life at its various stages really brings me joy, " he remarked. Chavis lately secured a taste of how his son, Maceo, handles adversity after deciding to support himself to a Twix bar the 8-year-old had been saving. "My son started eating chocolate about a year ago, and Twix has been his go-to candy for the last three or four months, " Chavis remarked. "But over the last few weeks, he hasn't really wanted them as much. He had opened a Twix but didn't finish it. There were two left in the package out of four." At around 11 p.m. One night, Chavis began craving something sweet. That's when he spotted the opened package of Twix. "I thought it was safe to eat because I left him one in the pack, " Chavis remarked. "I figured that, at worst, I could just grab him another one from the store the next day before he even noticed it was gone, but I was wrong." Chavis was hanging out with Maceo in his room the after day when his son asked concerning the missing Twix. Chavis immediately became nervous. He hadn't replaced it yet, so he had to come clean. Maceo didn't take the news well. "He was shocked and started holding back tears, " Chavis remarked. "After a while, he informed us he was going to his room. He walked in, closed the door, and stayed there. I knew he was upset, but I didn't know how upset." After regarding an hour had passed and Maceo still hadn't come out, Chavis went to check on him. That's when he noticed a drawing on the floor outside his son's bedroom door. Art can be an effective tool for helping children express their emotions. A 2020 study published in Frontiers in Psychology reviewed 37 studies involving children and adolescents who participated in art therapy. Researchers discovered that activities such as drawing, painting, and other forms of creative expression assisted young individuals communicate emotions that were challenging to put into words. Art therapy was additionally associated with improvements in a range of psychosocial outcomes, including emotional expression, self-awareness, coping skills, and reductions in emotional and behavioral difficulties. The review concluded that art provides a flexible and supportive way for children to explore feelings and experiences in a safe environment, particularly when words are hard to find. Maceo had left his father a picture of a sad face. While Chavis discovered it cute and amusing on one level, especially since his son had informed him just a day earlier that he was the "best daddy in the world, " he understood that Maceo was trying to communicate some tough feelings. So he decided to offer his son the chance to do exactly that. "We sat down and talked about it, " Chavis remarked. "He told me he was upset that I didn't ask him before he went to bed if I could have it." The conversation turned into a positive moment for both father and son, with Maceo successfully working through what, for him, was a tough situation. "It really boils down to consent for him, and I am thankful that he was able to express his feelings to me through the drawing and also with his words, " Chavis remarked. "It shows me he is learning emotional intelligence at a young age." Though Chavis can still see the humor in the situation, the drawing Maceo created will always mean a lot since of what it represents. "I am definitely going to keep it and show it to him when he gets older, " he remarked. "I've learned my lesson, and I won't be eating his Twix bars without asking from now on." a.

Newsweek is a Trust Project member.

See more of our trusted coverage when you search.to see more of our trusted coverage when you search.

"One of my favorite things about being a father is the conversations I have with my kids, " Chavis informed Newsweek. "I could be having the worst day ever, and talking to them can completely turn my mood around."

Seeing his children come into their own has been a delight for Chavis. "They are both really smart and caring people, so just watching them navigate life at its various stages really brings me joy, " he remarked.

"My son started eating chocolate about a year ago, and Twix has been his go-to candy for the last three or four months, " Chavis remarked. "But over the last few weeks, he hasn't really wanted them as much. He had opened a Twix but didn't finish it. There were two left in the package out of four."

At around 11 p.m. One night, Chavis began craving something sweet. That's when he spotted the opened package of Twix.

"I thought it was safe to eat because I left him one in the pack, " Chavis remarked.

"I figured that, at worst, I could just grab him another one from the store the next day before he even noticed it was gone, but I was wrong."

Chavis was hanging out with Maceo in his room the after day when his son asked concerning the missing Twix. Chavis immediately became nervous. He hadn't replaced it yet, so he had to come clean. Maceo didn't take the news well.

"He was shocked and started holding back tears, " Chavis remarked. "After a while, he informed us he was going to his room. He walked in, closed the door, and stayed there. I knew he was upset, but I didn't know how upset."

After regarding an hour had passed and Maceo still hadn't come out, Chavis went to check on him. That's when he noticed a drawing on the floor outside his son's bedroom door.

Art can be an effective tool for helping children express their emotions.

In practice, a 2020 study published in Frontiers in Psychology reviewed 37 studies involving children and adolescents who participated in art therapy. Researchers discovered that activities such as drawing, painting, and other forms of creative expression assisted young individuals communicate emotions that were challenging to put into words.

Art therapy was additionally associated with improvements in a range of psychosocial outcomes, including emotional expression, self-awareness, coping skills, and reductions in emotional and behavioral difficulties.

For context, the review concluded that art provides a flexible and supportive way for children to explore feelings and experiences in a safe environment, particularly when words are hard to find.

Maceo had left his father a picture of a sad face. While Chavis discovered it cute and amusing on one level, especially since his son had informed him just a day earlier that he was the "best daddy in the world, " he understood that Maceo was trying to communicate some tough feelings.

So he decided to offer his son the chance to do exactly that.

"We sat down and talked about it, " Chavis remarked. "He told me he was upset that I didn't ask him before he went to bed if I could have it."

In practice, the conversation turned into a positive moment for both father and son, with Maceo successfully working through what, for him, was a tough situation.

"It really boils down to consent for him, and I am thankful that he was able to express his feelings to me through the drawing and also with his words, " Chavis remarked. "It shows me he is learning emotional intelligence at a young age."

Though Chavis can still see the humor in the situation, the drawing Maceo created will always mean a lot since of what it represents.

"I am definitely going to keep it and show it to him when he gets older, " he remarked. "I've learned my lesson, and I won't be eating his Twix bars without asking from now on."

In short, dad Eats One of His Kid's Candy Bars, Not Ready for Picture is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.