Chocolate and taffy and suckers- OH MY!
There are so many guidelines that we, as Crunchy Moms, try to live up to and stand by. It can certainly make your head spin.
Is this fair trade chocolate? Are there artificial dyes in this candy? Is that likely more refined sugar than my child has had all year in that one little sucker? Is ANYTHING in this treat bag organic?
At our house, Mama and Daddy have a sweet tooth. Typically, we indulge after bedtime. However, we do make most of our treats at home- where we have control over the ingredients. Rarely do our girls get super sweet treats. This can bring up questions at birthday parties, holidays, and when strangers are being friendly and handing out loaded sweets.
This is our guide to surviving Halloween, specifically:
- Talk to your kids. My girls are only 23 months and 3 years old. But, I still take the time to discuss the foods we eat (or don’t). I feel strongly that having these conversations early on will lead to better understanding and decision making later in life. Example: “Remember how Mommy told you that we don’t eat all the things that other people eat? When we go trick or treating, we are going to get a lot of candy. You may not eat any candy without asking Mommy or Daddy first. If Mommy and Daddy say no, that means no. But, we will let you eat some. Don’t worry. Do you understand?” Which is typically followed by “Why don’t we eat that?” or “Do other Mommies and Daddies let their boys and girls eat that candy?” (They start so young!) Just be real with them! The more they hear it, the more they will understand!
- Give in a little. We do NOT go running into October with wild abandon. If we desert our beliefs at every holiday or special occasion, these would be some sugared-up children. Instead, we say no a good bit, but we do pick out a few pieces that we feel better about (in comparison to what else is in the bag.) Examples we chose to approve last year: pretzels (praise God!), Reese’s, Kit Kat, Kisses. I don’t have a hard, fast rule on why I chose those candies in particular- they just seemed “simple.” If that makes sense.
- Don’t be afraid to be “THAT” mom. YOU make the best decision for YOUR family. Be the mom that throws some away. Be the mom that looks for a buyback program. Be the mom that takes it to your Bible Study, your MOPS group, your girls night out. Own it and Laugh when the other moms make fun of you (in love)! You just might spark some crunchy thinking for them.
- Get rid of it quickly! The longer the candy sits in your children’s sight, the more they will long for it, question it, and whine about it. So, after Cinderella and Dash Incredible go to bed, we will pull out the Parents’ Choice Candy and tuck it away for the depths of cold and flu season when I have been locked up and just need some CHOCOLATE! 😉 Then, get the rest out of the house ASAP!
I am excited to hear from you! Please comment and tell me…
How do you prepare your kids for occasions like Halloween when you know they will be inundated with sweets you never buy?Are you an extremist- eat it all or throw it all out? Or, are you somewhere in the middle with us?
