Archives for the 'halloween' tag
Let Them Eat Candy
Last week, Crispy blogger Katherine blogged about some concerns people have with allowing children to consume too much Halloween candy because it encourages or contributes to child obesity. Well, in recent news, Minnesota dentists have joined the crusade against allowing children to have fun by launching a candy buy-back program:
“[W]e’re sponsoring a day-after Halloween party and candy buy-back program. It’s our opportunity to encourage children and their families to exercise smile-friendly habits all year long — especially as we kick off the holiday season.”
Who: Kids and their families from all over the Twin Cities are invited
What: Turn left over candy into cash. Participating Metro Dentalcare practices are offering to pay $1 per pound of candy to children 12 and under (up to five pounds each child). Kids and their families will be treated to healthy snacks, a free toothbrush, and other games and prizes. Don’t forget to wear your Halloween costume. There will be special prizes for the best costumes too.
What happened to, oh I don’t know, disciplining your child and making him brush his teeth?And what do you think these kids are going to do with their $5 – probably buy some chocolate bars to make up for the ones that they were forced to give up.
Halloween: A Teachable Moment?
Some (read: me) might argue that Halloween is the greatest of all holidays. No pressure, no big meal to prepare, no presents to shop for, no insane extended family—just pure fun. Booze for grownups, candy for kids, everybody wins.
Every year, news outlets run a few mask-suffocation and razors-in-apples stories in the name of “service journalism.” (Now there’s a scary costume: service journalist.) Now there’s a new addition to the genre: The Don’t Feed the Fat Kids story.
Three weeks out, the AP is on the case, with a perfect example of the form. The lede:
It wasn’t the gruesome costumes or gory masks turning up at Lisa Bruno’s front door that spooked her on Halloween. It was the pudge lurking beneath the costumes.
“The kids were just so huge,” Bruno says.
I’m sure you could write the rest of the story in your sleep. Helpful hints: Give toys instead of candy, trick your kids into giving their hoard to you, etc. But this was the line that broke my heart:
Experts do suggest turning the night into a teaching moment about portion size and limits, lessons can that can be reinforced all year.
For Satan’s sake, feed ‘em broccoli every other day of the year, but leave the kids’ mini-Snickers alone! For just one night, consider the fat a creative opportunity. At least you’re saving money on the fat suit for that would otherwise be necessary to complete little Timmy’s picture perfect William Howard Taft costume.
