Ahhh Halloween. The one day a year where we let our kids take ALL the candy from strangers and then spend the rest of the year attempting to eat it.
Sure, it’s an American thing but plenty of us Aussie families have embraced the opportunity to score free lollies.
But what do you do with all those lollies? Every year I experience this strange angel/devil shoulder situation and I’m sure most of us Halloween-participating mums feel the same. On my left shoulder, there’s the devil, egging on candy conundrum. It’s ONE day a year. Let them eat ALL the candy.
Then, on the other shoulder is the angel, aka. the mum guilt fairy preaching about healthy eating and the importance of teaching our kids not to indulge in sweets. Blah blah blah. Damn you Angel.
So what’s a mum to do? Let the kids go nuts and regret it? Allow them a sweet or two before dumping it in the bin? Hide in the ensuite and eat it all yourself?
Funny mum Kristen Bell has another option. Lie to them.
Halloween candy hack: A little lie goes a long way
The Good Place and Bad Moms actress explains that, under normal circumstances, she and hubby Dax Shepherd are honest with their girls, Lincoln, 6 and Delta, 4. However, she makes an exception during Halloween.
Although she allows her girls to partake in the lolly collecting and eating, she modifies the experience slightly.
Kristen told Comic Sands:
When they’re trick-or-treating, we let them eat a couple of pieces of candy, and then when we come home, they put their pillowcases on the washing machine where they aren’t readily available.”
Then the kids go to bed. While they sleep, Kristen does a bit of swapping, taking the really sweet lollies and replacing them with healthier sweets that she’s pre-purchased.
I make little changes, and they never know the difference. So I’m fine being dishonest about that. But if they asked, I’d say, ‘I care about your body and these are better for you.'”
Her kids still get to experience the Halloween candy high, but without the super yucky sugar rush.
What do you think? Would you be willing to swap out the candy? Or does this hack belong in the too-hard basket?
Personally I’m going to opt-out of the sweet-swap candy hack and stick to what I do every year. Eat most of the lollies myself after the kids go to bed and then blame it on the dog. #workseverytime.
What to read next
If you are partaking in the Trick-or-Treating fun this year, then have we got a few tricks up our sleeves! Take a look at these fang-tastic costumes, hair-raising hairstyles and terrifying treat ideas:
