How many pieces of candy do you allow your children to devour on Halloween night? My parents had a strict seven-piece limit, which was imposed as soon as we returned home with our haul. Of course, that rule never sat well with my older brother, who devised his own counter-plan, whereby he stuffed as many snack-sized candy bars in his mouth as possible while roaming the neighborhood.
So much for parental control.
Ironically, once he became a parent himself my brother suddenly saw the benefit of placing restrictions on candy consumption. These days he allows his young son the privilege of eating three whole pieces of candy before his plastic treat-filled pumpkin is whisked away… in the name of safety. Or so my brother claims.
My firefighter sibling insists on inspecting each and every piece of candy his young son totes home on Halloween night. At first glance this exercise appears admirable, but if you hang around him long enough you’ll see that his true motive is to comb through the candy mountain and extract all of his sugary favorites. Interestingly, my sister-in-law has come to embrace this annual ritual and now joins in on the pilfering. By the end of the night my nephew’s single haul yields three piles of candy—enough sugar and calories for the entire family.
I can’t imagine that this parental candy rifling… I mean, sharing… will continue once my nephew is old enough to realize what’s happening to his trick-or-treat stash after it gets into his father’s hands. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if one day soon my brother’s son makes like his dear ol’ dad and stuffs his face in the shadows of the streetlights on Halloween night.
What’s the candy consumption rule in your home? Do your kids share their haul with you? Also, what if any time limit do you impose on Halloween candy consumption? I know a person who keeps Halloween candy around until well after Easter and allows his child to snack on it. Scary.
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