What is your plan for Halloween?

The season of excess has begun! All Hallows Eve is almost upon us. The day that marks the beginning of over indulgence. If you’ve not been well this year or even more difficult, have a child that hasn’t been well or you simply cannot, in good mind, allow your kids to eat all that junk, this can be the beginning of a very difficult few months to get through.

We will come back to Thanksgiving and Christmas later, for now, we will focus on Halloween.

Do you have a plan?

Here’s what I do. I have three kiddos who are always super excited about Halloween and for the sake of being honest, as a kid I was too. Dressing up and collecting loads of free candy seemed like winning the lottery. Now, of course I see things very differently.

So, how does a conscious parent go about handling this holiday without panicking? Well, in our family, we trick or treat!

However, we have a tradition that works great for our family and might also work for yours if you are looking for a way to do things a little bit different this year.

After trick or treating and enjoying the exhilaration of running door to door in their amazing disguises, they come home, pour out and sort their candy (yes, admiring it all while their mouths are watering) and the negotiating begins. I actually buy almost all of my kids candy from them!

Year one, they were a bit confused but bought in pretty quickly. Ever since then the kids have no issues with me buying their candy. They get to pocket some money and I get the peace of mind knowing their little bodies aren’t overloaded with sugar, chemicals and toxins. It’s really a win/win.

It also makes for good conversations each year around many topics we should be having with our kids. For example, nutrition, what to do when you want to just keep eating because something tastes good, even if its not good for you or even if you are already full, marketing (this is such a fun one with lots and lots of examples from each of them) and of course, gratitude.

I do always let them choose a few of their favorites (with some parameters) so I am not being as manipulative or mean as some might think.

Why would I come up with a creative way to protect my kids from an excessive amount of junk that still allows them to enjoy the fun of the night with their friends?

EASY! They are my super heros! (photo is from what seems like so long ago).

What does your family do?