Let Your Kids Regulate Their Own Candy Intake + Poll

[Upward Journey]

I never policed how the kids ate their Halloween candy. I fail to see how it matters whether they eat it all that same night or spread it out over a few days.

It is ONE night a year.

OTOH, I definitely regulated how much candy was brought into my home for the rest of the year.

Now that they are teens, it is moot since they choose when to buy and eat candy.

 

ETA: DD is at college. When she moved out at the end of the year, she still had candy left over that I had sent in care packages. This year, she clearly said that she does not want me to send her any sweets. So obviously, self regulation works just fine with her.

 

 

ETA: We had a candy store and two ice cream parlous next to our school. That's where everybody's allowance money went ;-) As  a kid, I, DH, and all my friends ate sweets pretty much every day. As adults, we eat normally, are normal weight, have no cravings for sweets, and indulge only on occasions and in moderation. I do not know a single person in my circle who has a sugar addiction, so I am absolutely not worried.

 

Here as well.  There was one year, a long, long time ago that I tried the regulation thing.  What a nightmare!  I was so tired of having them ask for candy after two days that I went back to letting them eat it all as fast or slow as they saw fit.  I have some kids that eat it all in 3 days and others that will still have candy 2 months later.  Literally making themselves sick on candy tends to be it's own negative feedback loop.  It only takes once ;)

[AmandaVT]

I chose other. Mostly I let them self-regulate with it, but I do make suggestions, like, hey, can you maybe back off it for now, we're going to eat in a few minutes, or, you know, you haven't eaten anything good today, maybe have that piece of fruit and something with protein like a yogurt before you go into the candy again.

 

When they were little once I let them have a total crazy day on Nov. 1st - as much candy and TV as they wanted. Ds ate so much he threw up. :ack2:  Then, he tried to eat more.  :scared: I was like, okay, clearly you need a little more guidance on this for now.

 

This is basically what we do. This morning, I reminded DS that he might want to have breakfast before his 3rd chocolate treat. :-) He's generally pretty good at self regulating (better than me most of the time). He's the kid who will read serving size on a snack and eat the serving size. 

[T'smom]

My kids would definitely be in the "eat until they are sick" group! I let them have a several pieces a day- I do get annoyed by the constant requests, so I don't want the candy to last too long. So they usually get a piece after eating a meal. Plus, I sortof use it as a bribe. Like telling them they can have a piece when they finish their math or after their room is clean. Stuff they have to do anyway, but often drag their feet. For a few days, I have very helpful kids who get a lot of school stuff done!

[mom2scouts]

I have never regulated candy eating at Halloween. My kids don't get tons of it anyway because we only go around our immediate neighborhood. I let them eat as much as they want and it's gone in two or three days. My kids are underweight and active, so I'm not too worried about a couple days of excess sugar and calories.

 

I dislike hearing about people who just throw it away after a few days. I like giving it out, but candy is expensive and it's such a waste to go trick or treating and then throw most of it away.

[MercyA]

My daughter reacts to food dyes and other chemicals, so 99% of her candy gets auctioned off to my husband and me. My husband is a huge softie and she makes out like a bandit.  :)  I give both her grandmas candy she can eat to give to her, but not a huge amount of it. She self-regulates pretty well, but I did automatically say no to her having some at breakfast this morning. Afterwards, I really couldn't think of a good reason for not letting her have a little treat in the morning, so I think I'll say yes next time.  :)

[Kathryn]

Yes, other. I regulate times, not quantity. So, no candy for breakfast. No candy right before lunch or dinner. No candy after brushing teeth for the night. No candy eaten in bedrooms and no wrappers left for me to clean up. We always end up throwing it away after a while.

[mtomom]

I'm terrible about self regulating my own eating of sweets. If they are there I eat them. I ate a whole full sized bag of skittles yesterday. So I try not to bring it into my house, because when I do I will eat all of it.

 

One of mine takes after me.

 

Anyway, I pay them for candy. Their choice how much to eat and how much to sell. But I pay well. Then I send it to work with hubby. He's a good self regulator.

[Btervet]

Both my boys are way to little to self-regulate so I regulate candy, a few pieces a day. The few days after Halloween that can be 8-10 pieces throughout the day, but slows down after that.

 

The idea of having extra candy to throw away is insane in this house. We ALL love candy, there is never left over stuff months later. It took me years to learn not to eat too much, and I often made myself sick after Halloween as a kid. I think it would be silly to expect my kids to be any different - especially as my almost two year old ate a whole bag of Oreo's that older DS brought to him at nap time (we thought he was asleep, DS1 thought he needed a treat).

[RootAnn]

Normally, the candy is where they can get to it & they self-regulate (with some direction from dh & I) once they are old enough to do so. Before that, we keep it 'up' and they can have a couple of pieces at snack time. 

 

I figured they were all old enough to self-regulate this year. However, Friday night, I saw ds#2's pile of 10+ empty wrappers. He was happily unwrapping another bar to munch down on. A couple of his siblings & I talked to him. Most of his candy is 'up', but he has a small bucket to show us he's learned his lesson. So far, it hasn't gone well. He didn't want any of our regular food at meals today or yesterday. Once his stash is gone, he'll be under supervision for the rest of his candy eating.

 

(For the record, the good stuff usually lasts a couple of months. The stuff no one really likes ends up getting thrown away around Valentine's Day.)

[Loowit]

My kids have there candy to eat as they will, but the rule is no candy before lunch.  This is a year round rule.  We do control what candy is around due to severe food allergies, however,  We got through each bucket when they get home and trade for the candy that we don't keep at home.  DH takes that to work to share with his office.

[Momling]

I use the same technique my parents used when I was a kid. I believe it was the family dentist who suggested it.  It goes like this:  Kids should binge as much as you want on halloween. Eat any of the candy -- especially your favorite ones, because at bedtime, all candy gets given to us parents.  Then when the kids go to bed, we pull out a few of our favorites and eat them, then I pull out a few I might cook with (like m and m's for cookies or plain chocolate bars or skittles for decorating a Christmas gingerbread house)  and then the rest either goes in the trash or is sent to work the next day with my wife to give to nurses at the hospital.

 

I like this method because it's healthier in the long run (since they can only physically eat a fraction of their candy in one night) but they still have the choice to eat all of it should they want to and after that the candy is out of the house (because I have poor self-control too).  Since they've grown up with this method, they have come to expect it.  As they've gotten older, they probably hide a few of their favorites in a secret stash (and maybe I do too), but the majority of candy that they don't love is out of the house by November 1.

 

[foxbridgeacademy]

The kids are excellent at self regulating, I do okay with Halloween candy, it helps I don't like candy..... We have to hide it from DH most of the time or he steals all the good stuff (then goes to the store to buy more good stuff).  I've been letting the kids decide on candy consumption since they were 4-6 years old.

[AndyJoy]

I'm not sure if my son (barely 6) would self-regulate. If he's eating a favorite food, he doesn't seem to recognize when he's full and eats too much. If he sees a favorite snack he also claims to be hungry when it's definitely impossible. I've been talking a lot with him lately about the difference between eating because you're hungry and eating because you've "got the munchies" (bored, really like it, it's right in front of you, etc.) His personality is very like my ADHD dad who eats all day long and late into the night. My dad is overweight; my son is very active but is definitely on the heavy side for his age.

 

All that to say, thus far I've regulated his Halloween candy. But we've talked about it enough that I'm not sure he'd go crazy. When we walked in the door he asked if he could have 2 pieces before bed and then more tomorrow, because, "You shouldn't eat too much candy because it could make you sick. It's not healthy but it's tasty."

 

We then sorted his candy and threw out the ones we don't eat (Now 'n Laters, hard candy, sugared gum). He was very generous and made a pile with dh's and my favorites and wanted to start a pile for Nana and Papa too if I would tell him their favorites. He kept offering pieces to his 2-year-old sister too, despite her own full bag! I put the rest in a jar on the counter and he'll pick out 2-3 a day when he remembers to ask. I'll use 24 pieces in his Christmas countdown boxes. DH and I will munch on it too. We'll put it out for guests around Christmas/New Year's Day. Then we'll throw out any leftovers by Easter. It works for us right now.

 

My sister and I used to get about 10 pieces on Halloween then the rest went into the pantry to be doled out in our daily packed lunches or be consumed by our parents. When I was 10 I got to handle it myself; I had a secret stashing spot in my room with cash and candy. I ate it very slowly and it lasted for months. My sister's was gone in a couple weeks and I sometimes shared my stash with her.

 

I'm not opposed to letting him keep it himself when he is older, but 6 is too young for him.

[Tanaqui]

I use the same technique my parents used when I was a kid. I believe it was the family dentist who suggested it.  It goes like this:  Kids should binge as much as you want on halloween. Eat any of the candy -- especially your favorite ones, because at bedtime, all candy gets given to us parents.  Then when the kids go to bed, we pull out a few of our favorites and eat them, then I pull out a few I might cook with (like m and m's for cookies or plain chocolate bars or skittles for decorating a Christmas gingerbread house)  and then the rest either goes in the trash or is sent to work the next day with my wife to give to nurses at the hospital.

 

I like this method because it's healthier in the long run (since they can only physically eat a fraction of their candy in one night) but they still have the choice to eat all of it should they want to and after that the candy is out of the house (because I have poor self-control too).  Since they've grown up with this method, they have come to expect it.  As they've gotten older, they probably hide a few of their favorites in a secret stash (and maybe I do too), but the majority of candy that they don't love is out of the house by November 1.

 

Maybe, but don't you worry it's teaching the kids to gobble up candy when they've got it, because after all, then it just goes away? Candy isn't going away in their lives. Candy is always going to be in the grocery store, and it's always going to be at the office, and it's always going to be present at holidays. And on all those other nights that aren't Halloween, they can't just gorge themselves because mom and dad will remove it when they're done for now.

 

I'd be concerned about instilling a "do it while you've got it" mentality that might last not just on Halloween, but all through the year.

[LisaKinVA]

We haven't made a habit of trick-or-treating.  We probably average every other year.  Last year we did, this year we stayed home and had a party.

 

When they come home with bucket-loads of candy, I will assist with regulation (especially of the younger two).  The older three, I allow to self regulate.

 

When we have a party, the candy I purchase doesn't last more than 2 days.  But, we've planned it as a junk food day anyhow.  I don't buy nearly as much candy as they would have received trick-or-treating, and I like that it's GONE quickly.

[Carrie12345]

The sooner it's over, the sooner it's over!  My youngest two are pretty much out of candy already, aside from a few lollipops. I have no idea what the girls' status is.  But nobody's bugging me for candy every 5 minutes. :-)

[HomeAgain]

I will say it became easier to self-regulate on candy when we dropped hidden sugar in our food.  Sugar does act like a drug - the more you get, the more you want.  So when it's in everything there is a constant feed going on, creating more highs and lows.  We started buying simpler foods, and sweets didn't taste as good/we didn't want as many as we did before. The lack of sugar in our every day helps on holidays, I think.

[MrsWeasley]

Candy strictly goes to the Switch Witch, who then brings a small gift I have two kids who have had severe teeth issues. I'm pretty strict about sugar consumption, period, including in processed foods. There's no way I'm letting them eat a bunch of candy. This has never been a problem for us.

[beaners]

Our kids have never had too much candy to worry about it. We go around our church and less than an hour after that. Little kids tend to move slowly so they never end up with too much. Most of my kids finished theirs on Halloween night. A couple had candy left yesterday, and one is finishing hers up right now. I'd rather it be over and done with so I don't have to guard anyone's candy from everyone else.

[skimomma]

We do the "candy fairy" idea except dd (12yo) now picks out her switch gift ahead of time.  It was a book this year.  She gets a TON of candy.  We have very generous neighbors.  She goes with a large group of kids that all gather at my house afterwards.  She eats as much as she wants that night then picks ten pieces to keep.  The rest get exchanged for her pre-selected gift and the candy goes to dh's workplace.  

 

The funny thing is that I do think dd would self-regulate anyway.  She only had 4 pieces on Halloween before feeling sick.  Dh and I are always amused at the 10 piece choices because they almost never are the good things.  Like she always chooses at least one roll of smarties and often a jaw breaker leaving the FULL SIZE chocolate bars for the fairy.  She is either not very bright or just not into candy.  We are hoping for the latter:)   

 

So why do we take it?  I don't know about the rest of you, but candy and treats are given/offered to dd almost every single day.  Everybody seems to think they need to "treat" kids.  She gets plenty and there is no reason to add about 10 pounds (yes, we weighed her bag this year) of junk to that.  She likes dressing up.  She likes a few pieces of candy.  The switch is just another "tradition" she enjoys and looks forward too.  She's happy.  We're happy.  And I'd much rather she is filling her head with he words from the book she chose rather than chemical junk.

[Haiku]

"It’s not just about Halloween candy today; it’s about how lessons learned at Halloween lay a foundation for an entire lifetime. When you take away your child’s candy, you are saying that the candy is too dangerous for him or her to handle. That she needs adult protection from her own desire to eat it. That she can’t be trusted to figure out on her own how to manage her candy. These messages aren’t just about candy. These messages are about who your child is as a person."

 

First let me say that when I encounter these kinds of things, I always roll my eyes a bit. I remember being a kid. I didn't attach all these deep, philosophical ideas to the things my parents did. My mom let me eat a certain amount of candy, then she got rid of the rest. I had more than I needed, and it wasn't healthy for me. Why keep it around? Even as a child I could work that out.

 

That said, when my kids were younger, they got four days to eat as much of their Halloween haul as they wanted. Then it went to Dad's office to be shared with his co-workers (except for two years we participated in a candy buy-back at the dentist ... and the kids were way more excited about the money than the candy) ... for the same reasons as when I was a kid. Why eat all the candy just to say we ate it all? It's not healthy. It's special for a few days, then it's gone.

 

Now that they are teens, I don't worry about it. They do a big trade with their friends to get exactly what they want, they eat it for a few days, then they give the rest away. They each keep back a few pieces to have as a treat occasionally over the next few weeks.

 

Hmmm ... sounds shockingly similar to what we did when they were young. Maybe we accidentally taught them a good habit? ;)

[Lady Marmalade]

Tween and Teen here, so no regulation.  The teen still asks most of the time if it's okay if she has some candy.  

 

My Tween knows what a sugar high is and avoids them unless he is at a dance competition and needs a boost.  He also knows what it is to overeat to the point of throwing up, so he won't do that.  He may choose to eat candy at times I would not prefer, but... he is a tween boy, aka Hoover these days.  He could eat a pile of candy and still be ready for lunch 20 minutes later.  

 

I can't be the only one who is secretly pleased that, at least for a week or so, when my always hungry son tells me he's hungry I can tell him to go have a couple pieces of candy?

[skimomma]

First let me say that when I encounter these kinds of things, I always roll my eyes a bit. I remember being a kid. I didn't attach all these deep, philosophical ideas to the things my parents did. My mom let me eat a certain amount of candy, then she got rid of the rest. I had more than I needed, and it wasn't healthy for me. Why keep it around? Even as a child I could work that out.

 

 

Yes!  We can drive ourselves crazy if we take every single parenting decision and try to extrapolate every single possible outcome.  Sometimes you just do something because it makes sense.  As a parent there is nothing wrong with deciding that 10 pounds of candy is probably not great for a 6 yo and doing something about it.  I know plenty of people that had free access to candy and junk that as adults still cannot self-regulate....and plenty that can.  I do not believe for one second that limiting Halloween candy really has a significant lifelong impact on diet choices.  Seriously.  This is why the internet will make us all crazy.   

[KungFuPanda]

I regulated when they were little. It didn't stunt their ability to self-regulate as teens. I'll throw away a lot of Halloween candy at Christmas if I can't get guests to finish it off. There are no true sugar addicts in my house.

[clementine]

I was in the 'Yes, other' category when our kids were of ToT age.  

They would come home with their pillow cases filled & dump and sort.  The first night was 'eat what you'd like'.  

 

For the next few days they would have to ask for candy, but I was pretty liberal with allowing it.  

 

After that, I would regulate more - maybe a couple of pieces per day.  

 

Eventually, they'd be down to the icky stuff (or stuff they were sick of) & we'd just throw it out.  

[Carrie12345]

First let me say that when I encounter these kinds of things, I always roll my eyes a bit. I remember being a kid. I didn't attach all these deep, philosophical ideas to the things my parents did. My mom let me eat a certain amount of candy, then she got rid of the rest. I had more than I needed, and it wasn't healthy for me. Why keep it around? Even as a child I could work that out.

 

That said, when my kids were younger, they got four days to eat as much of their Halloween haul as they wanted. Then it went to Dad's office to be shared with his co-workers (except for two years we participated in a candy buy-back at the dentist ... and the kids were way more excited about the money than the candy) ... for the same reasons as when I was a kid. Why eat all the candy just to say we ate it all? It's not healthy. It's special for a few days, then it's gone.

 

Now that they are teens, I don't worry about it. They do a big trade with their friends to get exactly what they want, they eat it for a few days, then they give the rest away. They each keep back a few pieces to have as a treat occasionally over the next few weeks.

 

Hmmm ... sounds shockingly similar to what we did when they were young. Maybe we accidentally taught them a good habit? ;)

 

I do it a little differently, but with the same lack of philosophy, lol.  If I have to get all deep and worked up about Halloween candy, I can't imagine how much stress I'd have to feel about the big issues in life, every single day, for (in my case) 30 looooong parenting years.

My kids binged.  They were obnoxious for a good 48 hours.  It's over.  We'll do it again at Christmas and Easter and everyone will be just fine the rest of the year.

[Haiku]

This is why the internet will make us all crazy.   

 

And how!

[Tanaqui]

*shrugs*
 

 

Some of us enjoy thinking a little more about things. And I bet that there are things YOU have "overthought" that umsami has paid very little interest to. We all are trying to do the best for our kids. For some of us, that means considering the effect of post-Halloween policies on them. For others, it means thinking about how to most effectively share our religion. Still others are concerned about what to say about sex, and when, and how.

[Haiku]

*shrugs*

 

 

Some of us enjoy thinking a little more about things. And I bet that there are things YOU have "overthought" that umsami has paid very little interest to. We all are trying to do the best for our kids. For some of us, that means considering the effect of post-Halloween policies on them. For others, it means thinking about how to most effectively share our religion. Still others are concerned about what to say about sex, and when, and how.

 

Well, sure. I cared enough to post on this thread. I like to think about things. My opinion is that not every parenting decision has deep ramifications. When my kids were younger, I was much more likely to overthink things. Now that they are older, my thoughts run to the more (to me) practical nature and the less philosophical/theoretical. I wasn't trying to say other people shouldn't think about things. I'm just giving my opinion. That's how discussions tend to work.

[Tanaqui]

Yeah, it is how discussions work. And I was sharing my point of view.

[Targhee]

We have done some major family diet modifications, including no sugar, in the last 5 months - overall the changes have made a significant positive difference in our family. But we also believe that celebrating is important, and an appropriate time for special treats. So the kids got Halloween candies and party treats from Fri to Sun, and now it's gone. They knew this from the beginning, so it wasn't a big deal.

 

I realize that the ideal is self-regulation, but we are still trying to model healthy regulation for them (because having ADHD means self-regulation doesn't come easily). I was hoping that since they could eat it ad libitum on these days they would over-do-it to the point of being sick and then make the connection with junk food. But, they actually showed a healthy degree of self-regulation, and no complaints about getting rid of the candy, without suffering belly aches.

[flyingiguana]

I live in an area where most kids have their Halloween candy regulated by parents.  Much of it gets thrown out (by the parents).

 

When candy has been brought to events, it's like piranhas.  These kids have NO sense of knowing when they've had enough.  And they know they have to grab and gobble quick before their parents find out there's candy.  I can't believe they're even tasting it.

[flyingiguana]

My kids either binged or saved.  And discovered that neither was a good strategy.  Binging makes you sick and then you don't have any more candy.  And saving results in finding year old Halloween candy stored in the bottom of a drawer that's of no use to anyone.

 

so, life lessons learned -- don't get so much in the first place and share what you do have.

 

And then have to suffer through your hs parent give a lecture on how this might be how reciprocal altruism developed.

[Bluegoat]

I regulate somewhat, but generally my preference is to get rid of it all within about a week.  But I don't let them eat any before breakfast.  Usually I let them pick out some after lunch and after supper - a fair bit more than I would normally allow.  they can decide to eat it at that time or save it through the afternoon. 

 

I've also kept down the candy somewhat in the past by managing the number of houses they go to.  Especially if the costumes aren't really warm, they have a limited time they will stay out in the cold.

 

Dd10 though went to a lot f houses this year - she went with her friends rather than with her dad and the other kids, and got a huge amount of candy.  Once the other kids are running out I think I'll talk to her about making a sensible plan for the rest.  I think she'll also probably agree to share it with the others at that point.

[Julie Smith]

When I was a kid it was never a concern since my brother and I were such picky eaters we gave about 90% of it all to my dad. 

For chocolate I liked smarties and kitkats. It wasn't until I was teenager I was willing to try another kind of chocolate bar. 

 

For my boys Eldest is great at self limiting. They also like to sell lots of it to my Dad. Mind you one year we trick or treated near my parents house, they forgot the candy - and never even remembered about it. 

 

Other then making sure the boys do a very good job brushing and reminding them to floss during the day as well as at night - I do nothing about the candy. (Well I did remind them they shouldn't leave it out in sight of Daddy)

 

 

[kewb]

When my kids were little they could have as much as they wanted on Halloween and then one piece per day for a week or until I couldn't take their candy attitudes any longer.

Once they reached the age of remembering every single piece of candy it became as much as you want on Halloween and one per day until it was all gone.

[skimomma]

*shrugs*

 

 

Some of us enjoy thinking a little more about things. And I bet that there are things YOU have "overthought" that umsami has paid very little interest to. We all are trying to do the best for our kids. For some of us, that means considering the effect of post-Halloween policies on them. For others, it means thinking about how to most effectively share our religion. Still others are concerned about what to say about sex, and when, and how.

 

I agree.  I just started thinking about how we are now so much more bombarded by theories that one can become paralyzed about decisions that actually probably do not really matter in the scheme of things. And so yes, it does make my eyes roll (a little bit) when we start to place such "lifelong" importance on simple things like how to handle Halloween candy.  My kid is older so I have been through this long enough to know that not all kids will turn into candy-hoarding freaks if not given unlimited access to candy.  And some will.  And some would no matter how candy is handled in the home.

 

But I too have my own hot-button issues that I enjoy mulling over the long-term consequences of.  And I'm sure plenty of people roll their eyes over them.  And that is OK:)

[rebcoola]

No regulation here the first night they sort of binged but not terribly and both stopped well before getting sick, day two they snacked on and off all day but ate their meals.  Today no one has touched it and their is still plenty of good stuff their just kind over it.  

[Tsuga]

Me either.

 

Ds isn't stupid. He won't eat past the point of feeling sick :)

My kids are morons. They eat past sick, and DD2 is an idiot. She'll puke.

 

But of course, they're fourth in a long line of alcoholics, very stupid. My father the engineer, holding two patents, drank and shot up to the point of homelessness.

 

If only he'd had the intellectual calacity to think, "maybe this isn't a good idea".

[Sun]

We let DS eat as much as he wants with a couple of restrictions. The bag of candy is kept on an inconvenient, high shelf in a kitchen cupboard, so it's out of sight and not accessible for a random grab as he walks by. We want to him to have to make a conscious decision to have some candy, not just mindlessly munch on it because it's in sight. He's also not allowed to take candy to his bedroom.

 

Not having the candy easily accessible and in sight made a huge difference in how much DS eats. As an added bonus, DH and I eat way less of it as well!

[Jennay]

My kids only went around our immediate neigborhood but still got TONS of candy - too much - becasue there weren't many TOTers this year and the neighbors just wanted to get rid of it. Plus they got a ton of candy when they volunteered at a nursing home this week.

Hypoglecemia runs in our family so I don't allow them to binge. I also have kids who react badly to artificial dyes.

So I came up with this solution:

If they have eaten a decent dinner they can choose one chocolate treat and one snacky type treat when they get home.

They each get a wide mouth mason jar and can keep whatever chocolate treats they can fit in. (they get to choose and get creative trying to fit it all in - it must pass the "shake test" before it goes in the pantry). I think I might have gotten that idea here on the boards.

They can then have 2-3 pieces a day until it's gone.

Candy they didn't pick or that isn't appropriate for them goes with DH to work or to the dentist for the buy-back program.

Things like bags of chips, pretzels, cookies, juice packs, etc. don't count - those go in the bin for special treats to take on field trips.

They know sugar isn't good for you, but I don't want to be a total kill-joy, so this is our compromise.

[Haiku]

Why even take them trick or treating in the first place if all you plan to do is toss it all?!

 

Beceuase trick-or-treating is fun. 

[lmrich]

I always let them regulate it themselves, but I reminded them of what was a healthy amount. I hated it being in their rooms as the dog might find it. So it was regulated where I kept it. I also said that whatever was left over by December we would use on our gingerbread houses.  I used to make each kid his own gingerbread house so it was a lot of fun.  

[6packofun]

I put "Yes, other" because I'm a sneaky manipulative mom who "lets" her kids decide how much to eat.  By this I mean that I ask them, "Well, what do you think is a good amount?"  And then they either say a number I'm OK with and I'm like, "Great! Go for it!" or they say a number that will make them possibly vomit later and I redirect their idea of a good amount so that they still think they are the ones making the choice.  LOL

 

Btw, we tend to get candy occasionally while watching a movie or tv show and always divvy it out because there are a lot of us, to be fair.  So they already have an idea of what a decent but not ungodly amount of candy is.  :P

[skimomma]

The degree of materialism and waste that holidays are becoming is getting kinda disgusting to me.

 

Yes.  And this is largely out of my control as a parent.  My dd trick-or-treated in our neighborhood.  We know most of our neighbors and therefore they all know dd and the friends she walked with.  When I was growing up, we would trick-or-treat for two hours and still have a manageable amount of candy.  Each house gave one piece and there were long driveways to walk up.  Not so anymore.  The kids only went to houses of people we know.  Each one gave them handfuls.  Each.  10 pounds of candy.  The point of the night was the fun of dressing up, walking together as a group, looking at other costumes, pumpkins, and house decorations, and visiting with the neighbors we know.  As much as I cringed at the amount of candy our well-meaning neighbors were piling on the kids, it would have been rude to refuse.  So, yes, it is over-the-top and wasteful in my opinion but short of boycotting Halloween (and many other holidays/events), we just deal.

 

I do not throw the candy out though.  We share it at dh's work after dd has picked out her choices.  But even then, it really is wasteful.  No one needs to be eating that stuff.

 

My parents did not have to mull over these things because they were only dealing with 20 pieces of candy per kid.  And we WORKED for those 20 pieces.  If I were dealing with 20 pieces of candy rather than 10 pounds, I would just let dd at it.

 

The same thing happens at other holidays.  Despite practically BEGGING our families to limit the avalanche of candy and gifts bestowed upon dd, she is still getting far far FAR more than we ever did as kids.  Too much.  And much of it gets donated.  It simply does not physically fit in her room.  I don't know what else to do.  I find it wasteful and frankly it takes the specialness out of the holidays.  We seem to be in this one-upmanship war that will continue until we have wrecked every holiday.

[RootAnn]

My brother reminded me in an email today that my mother used to hide all our candy after Halloween night in a brown bag at the back of the freezer.

 

So, I'm not growing up exactly like my mother.  :coolgleamA:

[Haiku]

The degree of materialism and waste that holidays are becoming is getting kinda disgusting to me.

 

I don't think anyone ever pretended that Halloween was really anything more than materialism. The whole point of it (as a modern American holiday) is to get candy! ;) We're not (generally) pagans celebrating a spiritual Samhain.

 

I'm not overly concerned with the waste of candy, honestly. Candy is pretty worthless.

[lynn]

My sons could handle it and have candy through spring. Dd on the other hand would eat it until it's gone. I let her choose 2 pieces a day and put the rest up.

[Southern Ivy]

Dd is only 3, so I do the regulating. She would eat until she was sick if I let her. 

[Guest]

Well yeah. There's that. :)

I'm didn't say not to go at all, but I am thinking about what message it sends to drive out of your own neighborhood to find the best score of candy. To get as much as possible and then just toss it. The degree of materialism and waste that holidays are becoming is getting kinda disgusting to me.

Well, we drive to a neighborhood for ToT, because we aren't *in* a neighborhood. Our neighbors are deer and squirrels. :) We don't case out the most gnenerous giving neighborhoods; we just go a few miles away to where there actually is a neighborhood.

 

I couldn't agree with your last sentence more, though.