The First Lady, Candy Bars, and a Grain of Salt

“Daddy, we need to go to Target,” Hannah said when I picked her up from school on Thursday.

“Why, sweetie?”

“We need to stock up on candy bars.”

Um, okay. “Why is that?”

“Because Michelle Obama is banning king-sized candy bars.”

What the what? “Where did you hear that?”

“All the kids at school are talking about it.” Well, that’s a reputable source.

After some quick Googling, I find that king-sized candy bars are indeed an endangered species. Mars, the company that makes Snickers and Three Musketeers, announced back in February that they would no longer produce candy bars with more than 250 calories by 2013. They did so as part of an agreement with Michelle Obama’s Partnership for a Healthier America.

There’s no ban. And certainly not a ban imposed by the First Lady.

“Hannah, you know that the First Lady can’t ban things, right? Congress makes laws and the President enforces them, but the First Lady doesn’t have anything to do with that. She can just encourage people to make healthy eating choices.” Hannah admitted that when she thought about the story that way, it didn’t hold water.

“Hannah, just because a lot of people are saying something, that doesn’t make it true. When you hear a story like this, especially a story that makes someone look bad, you should take it with a grain of salt.” At this point, I digress and make sure Hannah knows what “take it with a grain of salt” means.

Hannah seems a little bothered by all this, although I can’t tell if she’s having trouble accepting the idea that something all her friends are saying might not be true–or if she’s just bummed that we don’t have an excuse to go to Target and buy candy bars tonight.