The other night my 9-year-old son had a complete meltdown at Dunkin Donuts. He couldn’t get what he wanted because he gave it up for Lent.

Though we don’t require our kids to give up something, my husband did not want to let him off the hook. I’m not sure my husband would have even known what my son had given up if he hadn’t admitted it — along with a confession that he had already had a chocolate donut at school that day by mistake.

Giving up something for Lent is no easy matter. And it’s particularly hard for kids. My 5-year-old just asked me if he could play the “kimputer” — something he declared he had given up for Lent. When I explained that it was still Lent, he responded “Lent goes all the way to Easter? That is so long!”

Don’t I know it! This year I’ve given up chocolate and shopping. I just found myself directed to the L.L. Bean Website by an e-mail that promised 50 to 75 percent off. It was only after the page froze that I realized I was shopping — even if I wasn’t in a store. Oops.

It was hard to explain to my 9-year-old the other day just why it was important that he not cave into his desire for a chocolate donut the first time temptation came along. It’s hard to grasp the whole concept of why we give up something for Lent. I’m still struggling with it. But if we don’t at least try, we will never understand how to overcome selfish desires and weakness. We will never see just how strong we can be.