Kids are starting to love it, and it sure makes sense.
According to the October 29th article Sugar Math for Halloween in the Wall Street Journal, parents are using “Buybacks and Tricks to Limit Treats.”
Here’s the problem:
Candy had a lot of sugar in it, and sugar is harmful to children. While almost any food is fine in “moderation” and no problem at all when reserved for that “rare special occasion,” sugar use does not fall into either one of those categories.
Having some sugar causes the desire for wanting more… and therefore, there goes the ability to follow the sound advice of “moderation.”
In addition, limiting sugar to that “rare special occasion” doesn’t work at all. Special occasions today are almost as frequent as non-special ones and sometimes as often as once a week or even once a day.
This article tells us that
- Americans consume 22 teaspoons of added sugar a day on average, or 355 calories, more than twice the recommended amount.
- Teenage boys take in 34 teaspoons a day, 550 calories. Sweetened beverages are the biggest culprit.
- Men and boys should have no more than 9 teaspoons a day, researchers say.
- Women and girls should have no more than 6 teaspoons a day, researchers say.
Oh the times have changed… but as we know, the people have not; and as a result creative parenting has stepped in. Here are some successful solutions that have recently been reported:
- Ms. Potter, who has two other daughters, aged 22 and 13, invokes what she calls the Great Pumpkin with her children. The kids select a handful of candies to eat sparingly and leave the rest outside next to their pumpkins before they go to bed. When they awake the next morning, the Great Pumpkin has whisked away their sweets and left them a gift.
- C.C., short for Cecilia Carolina, her middle school child, will be receiving a gift certificate to tween clothing store Justice, one of her favorites. “I am willing to spend $30 or $40 on a present if she will give her candy away,” says Ms. Potter.
- Mrs. Brekke-Hutchings in Seattle says she has purchased 96 glow sticks to hand out on Halloween. As for the candy she buys from her own children, “We just throw it away. It feels wasteful, but if it’s not good enough for my kids, why should I give it to someone else?”
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