The Marshmallow Experiment

Ian and I have been watching TED.com. It's a series of interesting lectures on many different concepts. The other day, we watched one called "Don't Eat That Marshmallow Yet" by Joachim de Posda.
The experiment is based on the principal of delayed gratification and how it can help to predict future success. The videos of the kids were priceless.
So, we decided to do the experiment on our kids. Toby and Simon were the right age for the experiment. We said to them "Here is a marshmallow. If you don't eat it for 15 min. you can have another one. Mommy and Daddy are leaving the room now." Toby got the concept right away. We left the room and Toby looked at his marshmallow, and pretty much left it alone. He got upset when Simon went and helped himself to a second marshmallow, which he placed beside his first. Simon also smelled and touched his a lot. We heard Toby at one point say "I'm never eating my marshmallow!".
After approximately 15 minutes of marshmallow torture, Ian and I came back into the room. Simon's extra marshmellow had been put back into the Marshmallow bag. The first two remained intact. Ian and I are convinced that our two boys have demonstrated enough restraint to prove that both boys have very bright futures!
What the boys learned; sometimes it takes work to be rewarded. This time, they got two marshmallows right before bed! Big cheeky smiles were enough of a reward for Ian and I!