Dum Dums and Smarties

The other day I was waiting for something at the bank. I spotted a big basket of Dum Dum suckers (lollies) in the waiting area and proceeded to fish out my favorite kinds. I was so excited because the suckers brought back fond childhood memories of going to the bank with my mom. We always got Dum Dums from the teller and it was the highlight of the day! I started thinking about how Dum Dums at the bank are an American tradition and wondered if they provoke such enjoyment for others. If so, I thought they would be the perfect candy for the basket in our office. I was recently given the responsibility of picking up some candy. I wanted something unique to our office and something that I would not be tempted to eat all day long since the candy basket sits on my desk.

When I bought the candy at Walmart I realized that bags of Smarties were just as cheap as the Dum Dums so I loaded up on both of them. It wasn't until I got to the office and somebody pointed out the hilarity of my purchased that I realized what I had done. Dum Dums and Smarties? So now it is a passsive aggressive stress management technique for me. When a student is annoying me I say "How about a Dum Dum?" When I'm impressed with them I say "How about a Smartie?" When they ask if they can have a piece of candy, I say "Choose wisely."