Dr. Mom Online

That was the question of the day that I was asked repeatedly in our practice yesterday. “What do you do about Halloween? Will you let your kids have any candy at all???”

 

Have I mentioned previously that I’M NOT A BIG FAT MEANIE?!

 

Geez! What’s the big deal, anyway?! I’m pretty sure that a child will not succumb to “Halloween-candy-deficit-related-death” as a result of NOT having a free-for-all with candy on Halloween! At least I haven’t seen it happen yet.

 

Sure, sure… I understand that Halloween is a tradition. Super. Our kids dress up and enjoy the season just like many other kids. Do I let them have all the bags of candy? No. Do I let them have some candy? Depends! Some stuff is just so ridiculously toxic that it’s impossible to justify.

 

Remember last weekend? I took the kids to a Halloween party… I let them choose from some HOMEMADE sweets. I may be WAY off, but to me, most of those homemade sweets are far less toxic than the 100% chemical concoctions I see passed off as candy and “treats” these days.

 

“These days” makes me sound old.

 

Speaking of old, the other popular question directed to me seems to be, “But didn’t YOU trick or treat when YOU were a kid??? Isn’t that a double standard???”

 

OK, parents. Are there some things you may have done as a youngster that you’re PRAYING your kids don’t do?? Ha! You know what I mean! Well for me, I don’t look back on my childhood as being one filled with exuberant health! Yes, I trick or treated every year. Yes, I ate junk food. AND, yes, I was sick and on antibiotics a few times every year, too!!! I don’t want my kids taking the same path. My parents just didn’t know. Plus, MY trick or treating took place out in our “country” area… we drove to about 6 homes in total, with our neighbors. We were given mostly freshly baked sweets - some candy, too - and spent about a half  hour in each home as our mothers visited with each neighbor!! Hilarious! My friend and I still crack up about those Halloween nights, and how all our friends “in town” used to hit the jack pot with pillow cases FULL of candy!

 

Different times!

 

I honestly think the “junk” from back then was probably less Frankenstein-ish than the junk being made today. Too many new, fandangled chemicals in our food supply.

 

So, how do we get “around” all the junk, I’m asked. Well, sometimes I tell the kids, “You can have ONE thing from the bag of junk.” Sometimes I might say, “Let’s pick the least toxic thing”. I’ve also been known to say, “If you can find a single healthy ingredient on that label, you can have it!” Sometimes I just say, “No. You had junk yesterday. Give it a rest. Let’s go play!”

 

It didn’t happen this year, because we weren’t in school, but in the case where my kids might receive MANY bags, there’s no way they’re having one thing from each bag. They don’t even ask though… I think it even feels like too much to them.

 

What do we do when it’s time to give out “treats” to others? I’ll usually give away organic Clif bars for kids (Z Bars) and/or some M&M-like candy from the health store that lacks any high fructose corn syrup and artificial colors or sweeteners. I KNOW you won’t believe me, but these actually taste waaaaayyy better than the ‘popular’ version!

 

I also prefer to give away non-food items. This year, my daughter’s gymnastics team exchanged goodie bags. We stuffed them with a chocolate chip Z Bar, Halloween (non-toxic) tatooes, glow sticks and jewellery, and Halloween stickers. The kids all loved it… and I didn’t contribute to anyone’s future loss of health!!! It’s a win-win!

 

Today, the kids are in their costumes once again. We’re taking them to a science center to see a visiting bat exhibit and visit the planetarium. We’ve been invited to stop by a friend’s house afterward for “cider and donuts”. The kids have never had either! You can’t possibly convince me that there’s a shred of nutritional value in a donut… but there is a wellness value to socializing with good people. They can have a donut if their hearts are set on it. By that time, they’ll have had lots of good food… it’s not a big deal.

 

The ongoing lesson is teaching them to make wise choices for their bodies and their lives. Will one donut, or one piece of candy kill them? I think not. Then again, that type of thinking gets a lot of people into a lot of trouble! It just seems that the donut, made by the local bakery in our town and shared with family and friends, will create a less toxic situation than a processed piece of chemical garbage, made with artificial EVERYTHING and labelled as “candy”!

 

I could be off.

 

Anyhow, Halloween isn’t such a big deal for us. No, they’re not going to have much junk at all. No they don’t go trick or treating. They’re not exactly bothered by it… they’re too busy dancing and painting this morning, and getting all excited about seeing bats and planets.

 

Will they go trick or treating someday? Oh, probably… just so they can “experience” it. Will they keep all that candy? Not a chance! I’ll pull one of those sneaky parent moves, like I did a couple years ago, where they can turn in their ENTIRE bag of candy to the Halloween Health Fairy (while they sleep on Halloween night) in exchange for a toy, game or book they’ve been wanting. Worked well for us!

 

I shared my Halloween Health Fairy story with a few moms yesterday… sounds like the fairy will be visiting a few NEW homes tonight!

 

By the way, their big fat meanie mommy is surprising them tonight with a little - TINY - bag of goodies. Organic chocolate peanut-butter cups!! Yum! They’d better share with their mommy!

Tags: Halloween candy, junk food, kids health, Nutrition