By Heather Miller
Everyone likes to indulge. As we all know, it is fine to do so, in moderation. Even as adults there are times where we become overly excited for something and go all out. This can range from a night on the town where two glasses of wine turns into two glasses of wine and five shots of whiskey to going to the movies and eating our weight in buttery popcorn. There is nothing wrong with indulging, Hell, we deserve it. That being said, our kids do, too.
While I totally understand that it is not ok for kids to live on sugar alone, and that their consumption of sugar should absolutely be monitored, I do think they deserve a break at times, just like we do. It is easy for us old folks to forget how exciting everything is to our kiddos. Think back to when you put on your plastic Casper the Ghost Halloween costume and hit the neighborhood. There was nothing better than going door to door and loading up on sugary goodness. It is basically the equivalent of grown ups going to a cocktail party or being able to veg out in front of Netflix for eight to ten episodes of our favorite show, whatever floats your boat.
There have been years in the past where my three monsters would hit the streets and come home with their little pumpkin pails filled to the rim, only to be told that they could each pick two pieces of candy for the night. Lord forbid Halloween fell on a school night, GASP! They were to shove those two mini pieces into their pie holes, hit the shower, and get their butts to bed! Sounds fun, doesn’t it? Well, not this year. This year, they will eat candy. And lots of it.
My kids have been counting down to Halloween for the entire month of October. Truth be told, I think they started in September. They are so excited. On a normal day they are not given much sweets and they know that this holiday is the one that will make up for all of that healthy food I force down their little throats throughout the year. This is their night and this year it will not be taken from them.
For this one night of the year I will stand back and let them fill their little bodies with sugar and food coloring. All of the sugar and food coloring. This is what they have been waiting for all month long. Could you imagine if you had a date night planned for a month, got yourself all dressed up, went to dinner, were denied a second glass of wine and told once you arrived at the movie theater that you were only allowed a small popcorn? Torture! Well, that is what it feels like to our little ones when they finally get home from trucking around the neighborhood, only to be told they have to go back to normal life. Immediately.
All of this being said, I do understand that with it being a Tuesday, they do need to hit the hay and get their spooky selves back to school tomorrow. I am not promoting that they eat every last Smartie and stay up until 4 AM. What I am promoting is letting them enjoy it. They are only little once and one day they won’t want to hit the streets with you for the pure joy of getting candy. They’ll be off with their friends and we will be left at home handing out treats to other families that will hopefully let their little goblins go home and indulge.
So, fellow moms and dads, this year, let them eat candy!
Disclosure: If your kids vomit, do not blame me. Blame the candy, just like we blame the wine.
