Creating Healthy and Happy Hallowe'en Traditions with my Kids

A HEALTHY Halloween?  How is that possible?

 

It's almost been a week since I took my four year old neurotypical daughter out for trick-or-treating.  The whole week had been rainy, the last bits of Storm Sandy, so we weren't even sure if we would go out.

 

 

The Deal

 



Two days before Halloween, my husband and I asked Little Sister to come into the kitchen to have a little chat about what we would do for trick-or-treating.  "Okay, weather permitting, you can go out and get treats (meaning candies and stuff she does not get from us).  When you come back, we can go through the treats, and you can choose 5 or 7 (this presents a choice to her) treats.  Then you can have one treat a day until they are done.  Is that a deal?"  Little Sister nodded and said, "Dad, I want SEVEN!"

 

 

Our General Rules on Food

 



In previous years, we didn't really have a plan.  This year, as she's in public school, she's more aware of the other children doing things that we don't necessarily practice as much at home.  For example, I've requested for Little Sister to not be fed any colouring or dairy at school.  And I am very grateful that Little Sister has been understanding when her teacher tells her that she can't have a cupcake that the rest of the class is partaking in because it's got colour.  I am also very grateful for her teachers to be so supportive of our wishes.

 



Courtesy of my friends the Almeidas

So, what were we going to do about Hallowe'en?  As the days approached, her school, the crossing lady, other neighbours would talk about what they were going "to be" for the big night.  Little Sister decided that she would go out as Cookie Monster.  "Mom, I want to be Cookie Monster."  So, she paraded around in her costume at school and at night.

 

 

The Trick-Or-Treating Night

 

We were very pleased that the rain was light, so Little Sister and I (with baby attached to my front) were able to walk door to door in our neighbourhood.  At first, Little Sister acted quite shy.  She would appear very excited while walking along side me, but when someone answered, she was quiet.  The cat had caught her tongue.  She said nothing, just looked shy, head down.

But, she improved with my encouragement.  House after house, she would start to say "trick or treat" and "thank you".  By the last house, she even struck up a conversation with the young lady who asked her if she liked Smarties.  Little Sister had received several packs of Smarties to her disappointment, so she seemed very glad to have a choice presented to her.  "No," she responded.  "Do you like Caramel?"  "Yes."  Little Sister sounded so excited.

Cookies!

So we got home and showed Daddy the treats.  Daddy separated them into two different piles:  stuff that we just wouldn't give her, and stuff she could choose from for her seven treats.  Little Sister picked her rewards, then Daddy allowed her to pick 10 instead of 7 as a bonus for sharing her stash with us.

The Days Following

The next day I brought two of the treats plus a juice box (she received one from trick-or-treating, but it was actually a fruit drink, not juice) to replace the drink that I didn't allow her to have.  She was happy about eating her treats in the time between her school and our house. 

In the days to come, she would ask about having her treats, and speaking with a passionate whiny voice, "I WANT MY TREATS!" 

Was it a Good Idea?

What have I created?  I wanted to create healthy habits for my children yet I allowed her to go trick-or-treating?  Well, that would have been fine, just dressing up and going door to door to show off the costume... But why did we allow her to have the candy?  We wanted her to feel part of the fun that all the other kids and adults were having around this festive day.  But we don't have to feed ourselves "garbage"...

I thought back to when I was a child how exciting it was to have Coffee Crisps or Kit-Kats that I couldn't afford to buy otherwise.  I thought about eating them and enjoying them.  Then I thought back to the present with my child.

Our experience going out, getting her in the costume, holding the umbrella, going door to door, coaching her to say thank you... teaching her to thank people for their thoughtfulness, that was a very enjoyable outing.  During our Hallowe'en walk, I asked her several times how she felt, and she said several times "happy".  She also said, "I'm tired.  I want to go home."

So, now we're down to two more treats before the bag is finished.  My husband tells me to just "let it go" - meaning don't dwell on the idea that Little Sister eats poorly.  We've come a long way.  A few candies are just a few candies.  Let us enjoy what there is with gratitude.

Let it go, Be Happy

I think that being HAPPY constitute to being healthy.  So, as I grow with my children, we'll figure out what other possible healthy and happy traditions we can create.

What do you do for a Happy Hallowe'en with your kids? 

Happy Day!