Patience in the form of a Pez candy dispenser

Connor has always been enamored with Pez candy, or as they're known in our house "candy-maker candy". Recently, he set his own rules with regard to the candy-maker candy. He decided one night for treat to get a package of Pez candies. Rather than eating them all at once, as Helen chose to do, he ate exactly one. Then, he took the Pez dispenser up to his room and decided he would eat one piece each day.

And he does this.

About once a month, he comes downstairs and requests a new package of candy-maker candy, which he then dispenses to himself on a once daily basis.

He's very strict about his one per day rule. Yesterday, he took a piece of candy from Helen, and I told him he needed to give Helen one of his. He protested vehemently explaining that he had already had is piece of candy that day. Whatever. I went and got one anyway.

I find the dispenser under his pillow often. Ed leaves it there. I move it to a shelf beside his bed. Ed figures Connor falls asleep dreaming about the one piece of candy he has allocated himself for the next day.

Ed and I had a good laugh about the Pez dispenser recently. We figure Connor is working out boundaries, and how much he can get away with. He knows, for example, that if he came down daily asking for a new package of candy, he'd be denied. He also gets to have the feeling of "getting away with something", which probably makes him feel weirdly empowered.

I have to admit, I am tempted to give him 365 pieces of candy and then check on them regularly to see if he continues to dispense them out so slowly.

I have to hand it to Connor, this shows a lot of self  control.