Sick-or-Treat?

Most kids love Halloween.

You get to dress up in costume, pretend to be someone/something fictional like a dragon or a fairy (guess what my kids are dressing as this year!).

And best of all, it’s trick-or-treat time.

We all walk the streets, going door to door to fill our bags with yummy candy and treats.

 I remember doing this as a kid and couldn’t wait to get home and raid the stash. See how much I could eat before my parents took the bag away. Then the next morning it hits you like a ton of bricks. Upset stomach, nausea, maybe even a little vomiting.

What kind of treat is that?
As a parent, I don’t think it’s much of a treat to keep my kids out all night, then let them stuff themselves full of sugary candy.

I realize many families refrain from celebrating this holiday for religious and philosophical reasons, but there’s a growing number of families (like mine) that have figured out how to enjoy the “Trick” but keep the “Treat” to a minimum. Here’s my recipe for fun if you choose to participate in the Halloween experience this year...

1.) Seek out malls and community centers that offer Halloween Parties, Parades and Games. There are typically less “treats” for the kids and many times there will be home-made treats that are a healthier alternative to store bought candy.

2.) If you Trick-or-Treat, limit the number of homes you visit. Your kids don’t need to knock on every door in the zip code. Skip a house here and there. Put a time limit on how long you’ll be out.

3.) Ration your treats. This is my favorite part of the night. My kids and I sit down of the floor and go through everything they got in their bag. Believe it or not, some families give out organic or very low sugar treats these days. (THANK YOU SO MUCH!) So these are the things the kids can have first. After that, they can get a select number of treats per day (usually one, but use your own judgement here) and after about a week or so, they’ve begun to forget about the giant bag in the pantry. When they stop asking, I stop offering.

It is really no coincidence that this time of year is the unofficial start to the so-called “cold and flu season.” It all starts with “sick-or-treat” time and continues on through to the end of the year.
More to come on that, so stay posted……