Reading Be Mom Strong's post about Halloween candy yesterday inspired an impromptu question-and-answer session between me and my three-year-old. This is how it went:

Me: What is Halloween all about?

Lorelai on Halloween two years ago after eating an orange iced cupcake.

L: Treats

Me: What kind of treats?

L: Lollipops and sticky chocolate.

Me: That's what Halloween is about? It's about treats?

L: Yes.

Me: What do we do with the treats after we get them?

L: We bring them home.

Me: And do what with them?

L: Eat them.

Me: Are treats healthy food?

L: No

Me: How should we eat our treats?

L: One at a time.

Me: How many treats should we eat every day?

L: A couple.

Me: What kinds of healthy food should we eat every day?

L: Vegetables and fruits.

I learned a couple of things from this very honest conversation with my preschooler:

Holidays are about treats (candy, cookies, cakes) to our generation of kids. Which I think is sad. I put so much time into costumes and traditions, but all they take away is the getting of candy. We need to work on changing this. The focus of our celebrations shouldn't be the getting of "treats" but of quality time and tradition.
I'm doing a pretty good job of teaching my kid to identify healthy versus not healthy foods. Teach them young! Expose them to all kinds of produce. Their palates (and most likely their waistlines) will thank you later in life!
I'm not doing so well at teaching them how many treats are acceptable in a certain time frame. A couple of treats a day is a couple too many in my opinion. I think I would have been ok with her saying one a day, but a couple? (And yes, she does know what a couple means). I have, in the past, been of the mindset that a small sweet a day wards off binge eating, but I'm trying to cut back even more than that for myself and my kids. I don't want my kids to think that candy and sugar-laced baked goods are a staple. I want them to learn to like foods that are naturally sweet and think of them as "treats". Things like real fruit smoothies, fresh fruits themselves and even naturally sweet vegetables like red and orange bell peppers and sweet potatoes. I want them to appreciate special treats when they get them because they are a rare thing. But it's so hard in our culture to actually make them rare! All I can say is that I am trying.

So, what do we do with all of the candy that comes in over the holidays? Well, I start by throwing away the real junky stuff that doesn't even taste that good. I keep a few of the higher quality items in a basket on a high shelf in the pantry that isn't visible to my children very often. I use those things for bribes sometimes (hey, nobody is perfect!) or I make them earn it somehow. Every once in a while I will give them a treat just to give them a treat, but that happens less than on a weekly basis. They get plenty of random treats from friends and family members. I don't need to add to it.

As far as what I hand out on Halloween, I don't. That's right, my door is dark. There are plenty of other people out there handing out junk food. I don't want or need to add to the predicament our children are in.

But that's just me. Every one is different. I liked Emma's idea of getting rid of the candy in her own home after Halloween day and handing out healthier alternatives to candy. She has some great info on her page about ways to dispose of your Halloween candy (other than shoveling it into your face). So if you haven't checked out bemomstrong.com yet, you should!

Thanks for the post inspiration, Emma!