I’m Not Down With Trading Treats For Toys

This Halloween a bunch of well-meaning folks offered to trade toys for treats. I kind of think that it sucks the fun out of Trick Or Treating.

By assigning a monetary value to treats (25 treats gets you one toy), you have taken a fun activity for kids into a part-time job. Something about it just doesn't seem right. Halloween is about pretending and rewarding kids with sweets one night a year.

Halloween wasn't always about candy. As recently as 50 years ago, you were just as likely to get a pencil eraser or a toy as candy. It was the candy makers themselves that pushed for Halloween to be a day of treats. That's no matter, Halloween these days is still about fun fantasy costumes and having just a little bit more treats than usual.

Now there's no way you should just let your kid go to town on a large bag of treats and teaching your kids that moderation is a part of life is very important. It's also important that you let them be like other kids for one day a year. Everyone likes to fit in and when all the kids are in costume, their differences are hidden too. The same goes for the candy. Let your kid be a kid and enjoy Halloween the same way everybody else does. Just remember to tell them to brush their teeth.