Vancouver mother Jill Amery makes her boys, Hudson, 3, and Ford, 5, ask the “Halloween fairy” for permission every time they crave something from their stash, this because Ford ended up with excess plaque buildup after Halloweens past.
“This ensures that we can brush their teeth right afterward and also teaches moderation and gives them a sense of control,” explained Ms. Amery, publisher of UrbanMommies.com.
“After about three days, the ‘Halloween fairy’ pays a visit and exchanges all of the candy for a desired toy,” said Ms. Amery. “Now mommy and daddy have to have the willpower.”
Managing self-discipline around the new Halloween rules is another story for parents, it seems.
“I used to take the candy away from the kids,” said Michelle Kelsey, a Vancouver mother of two daughters. “They would be allowed to keep two to four pieces of candy, and then I’d get rid of the rest.”
Get rid of where?
“I’m slightly embarrassed to say that it went into an adult cupboard and the parents ate it over I don’t how long,” confessed Ms. Kelsey. “Their father used to eat a lot of it.”
A bonbon ban is also in place at the Toronto home of Sonya Davidson, a recovered Jelly Bean addict who doesn’t eat the candy she forbids her kids, which includes Laffy Taffy, Tootsie Roll, Starburst and Skittles.
Ms. Davidson, who writes for UrbanMoms.ca, gets her sons Jacob, 11, and Tyler, 7, to dump their bags by the door when they get in from trick-or-treating: “They go to sleep and I take all that stuff and I toss it.”
She does let her sons keep chocolate, chips and bounty scored abroad: “If they get it at school, I’m not going to be a vigilante about it.”
At Dr. Daher’s house, the motto is moderation, this after the father of three and his wife tried handing out just toothbrushes and floss, only to find their Halloween traffic dip by 80 per cent the following year.
Now, the Dahers temper their message with bite-sized chocolate bars, Trident sugarless gum, temporary tattoos and Halloween stickers.
Said the orthodontist: “You ask them not to eat candy and they’re just going to resent you forever.”
