Limiting your child’s candy this Halloween might be more of a trick than a treat, experts say.
Once you’re a grown-up raising kids, that bag full of candy might be the scariest part of Halloween — whether it’s concern about a potential sugar rush, worries of parenting perfectionism or diet culture anxiety.
“It makes sense to be scared, because we’ve been taught to be scared,” said Oona Hanson, a parent coach based in Los Angeles. “Sugar is sort of the boogeyman in our current cultural conversation.”
But micromanaging your child’s candy supply can backfire, leading to an overvaluing of sweets, binge behavior or unhealthy restriction in your child, said Natalie Mokari, a registered dietitian nutritionist in Charlotte, North Carolina.
As stressful as it may be to see your child faced with more candy in one night than they would eat in an entire year, the best approach may be to lean into the joy, she added.
“They are only in that age where they want to trick or treat for just a small glimpse of time — it’s so short-lived,” Mokari said. “Let them enjoy that day.”
I – Word Understanding
Boogeyman – a very scary person / thing
Micromanaging – controlling everything even the smallest details
Ii – Have Your Say
1, Describe your relationship with candies / sweets, or sugar in general.
Do you think we should ban candies/sweets?
2, How is Halloween celebrated in your country? Is it popular for kids to go trick or treating?
3, What is your idea of “Trick or Treats”?
916 Should you let Halloween be a candy free-for-all? Maybe, experts say
