I like Sprite a lot, but I try not to drink it. My mom doesn't

Maddie Ziegler, though young, has spoken words that reflect an ancient struggle: “I like Sprite a lot, but I try not to drink it. My mom doesn’t want me to drink Sprite because it’s unhealthy. So she always has me drink water, but it’s hard not to!” At first glance, these words may seem light, even playful, but within them is the eternal story of desire and discipline, of temptation and restraint, of the sweetness that beckons and the wisdom that warns.

The ancients would not have spoken of Sprite, yet they knew well of pleasures that glitter like gold but corrode the body and spirit. The philosophers of Greece wrote of the dangers of excess, of how the soul must learn to govern its appetites lest it be enslaved by them. The teaching of Ziegler’s mother is the same: to choose the purer path, the path of water, though the heart longs for the sugary delight. For discipline begins not in great battles but in small victories, where the will chooses health over indulgence.

Consider the story of Hercules at the Crossroads, where the young hero was visited by two women: Vice, offering him an easy life of pleasure, and Virtue, offering him a harder road of labor but one that would lead to glory. Hercules chose the harder path, and thus became immortal in legend. So too, Maddie’s tale, though small in scale, mirrors this eternal choice: the sparkling sweetness of Sprite against the clear strength of water. One offers momentary joy, the other long-lasting life.

We must also see here the role of parents, who often appear as the stern voice of denial but in truth act as guardians of destiny. A child may see the restriction as burden, but behind it lies the vision of a future unspoiled by decay. Just as a farmer prunes a tree to make it strong, so a mother directs her child toward healthier ways. Maddie’s mom, like countless mothers before her, acts not from cruelty but from wisdom—the wisdom that health is the foundation of all achievement.

This struggle is not only about food or drink, but about life itself. For all men and women are tempted by things that glitter but do not nourish—be it wealth pursued without honor, power gained without justice, or pleasures taken without restraint. To love them is natural; to resist them is divine. The sweetness of Sprite becomes a symbol of all such temptations, while the purity of water becomes the symbol of truth, balance, and life.

Yet, let us not despise the struggle. Maddie admits, “It’s hard not to.” Here lies courage: to confess that the easy path is tempting, yet to strive still for the higher one. True strength is not in being free from temptation but in resisting it with patience. Every time the clear glass of water is chosen, a small victory is won, and such victories accumulate into character.

The lesson is plain: do not be ruled by your appetites, but let wisdom guide your choices. When faced with what is sweet but fleeting, remember what is pure and enduring. Choose habits that strengthen rather than weaken you. Parents, speak with love, but do not fear to guide. Children, listen with humility, for often the voice of discipline is the voice of love.

And so, carry this wisdom into your life: the world offers many Sprites, sparkling and alluring, yet it is water that sustains the journey. Choose what gives strength over what gives only momentary delight. For in every small choice lies the shaping of your destiny, and in every act of restraint lies the seed of greatness.