To not want my children to take part in trick or treating?

[ValerieDavis]

Coming to that dreaded time of year again ... Halloween.

I've fairly strict with my children's diets and I really do not want to take them trick or treating this year. All those sugary sweets are no good for their teeth.

I've spoken with DH about this and he thinks that they've only young once and it's only for one night but the sweets tend to last a couple of weeks and I'm doing it for their own good.

I'm more than happy to buy them costumes and let them dress up and have fun on the day and will let them have a few sweets, just no trick or treating!

AIBU?

[BupcakesAndHaunting]

Every year...

[AngelWreakinHavoc]

YABU. I agree with Your dh.

[Sassybeast]

yANBU.

Mine don't trick or treat but it's not because of sugar - its because I hate the thought of knocking on strangers doors. We always go and hide in friends houses on Halloween and have a lovely evening bobbing for apples and all that good stuff.

[gazzalw]

We don't really let our children do it because I consider it a form of begging and/or intimidation....

I think you are being unrealistic though to think that you can circumnavigate the sweet issue for long - what happens with party bags etc....? Can't you just go with "a little bit of what you fancy does you good"..... you could also cull their booty so they dont' have sweets to last a couple of weeks.

[WaitingForMe]

YABU

[WorraLiberty]

Do what you want

You can't be reasonable or unreasonable on this subject.

[BegoniaBampot]

my kids gout for halloween, theynlove it. Thayer hardly eat any of the sweets though. Just put them away and they forget about them. back in my auld gimmer day it was apples, tangerines and nuts you got, very few sweets. One flabby lady in the street would do toffee apples and there'd be a queue round the corner.

[McHappyPants2012]

Yanbu, I teach my children every other day of the year don't talk to stranger or accept sweets off strangers I am not prepared to undo all my stranger dangers for 1 night.

[didldidi]

A couple of weeks?!! the teeth will rot and drop out for sure.

[BigWitchLegsInWailyTights]

yabu. You don't have to ALLOW them to collect enough to last a month. Mine go to about 5 houses on our street....then if they get too many, I just get rid,

[Hopeforever]

We don't do trick or treating because of our faith. The kids still dress up and take treats to our neighbours. The kids and the neighbours love it

[YoloOrTwice]

Agree with above - I spend my whole year teaching children not to accept sweets and toys from strangers. It seems silly to suddenly let them go into strangers homes accept sweets and gifts and tell them it's "ok but just for tonight" :-/

[Goldmandra]

I think YABU. If the trick or treating involves going to people who the children know and you know they are happy for them to call then it's a treat.

Do you never let your children eat anything with refined sugar in it? Would they be allowed cake with icing for a treat or a sweet breakfast cereal? Do you have biscuits and crisps? Those things are also bad for their teeth.

I let them have their fill on the night and then spirit away a fair chunk of what's left without them noticing so that it doesn't hang around for long.

[LittleprincessinGOLDrocks]

We don't do trick or treating, and we don't really do Halloween. It's not the sweets that bother me. It is the going to people's houses asking for sweets I don't like.

But I hate Halloween so bah humbug lol

[BegoniaBampot]

Od dear, she's a fabby lady, not flabby - well maybe just a little bit.

[BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack]

YABU if the reasoning is purely you dont want them having sweets...talk about killjoy!!

My mum hated us kids trick or treating but because she saw it as a form of begging..... a bit more of a reason than eating too many sweets.

[BupcakesAndHaunting]

I think you need to move to a naicer area OP, where the middle-class mummies wil be doling out rice cakes and Organix crisps for trickle treaters.

[BupcakesAndHaunting]

trickle treaters?

Sorry, I seem to be typing out loud my DS's mis-said words

[bureni]

I wish this trick or treat nonsense would go back to the USA and stay there.

[WorraLiberty]

Lol @ the fabby flabby lady!

[Chopstheduck]

I always hated the idea, felt like it was begging.


Last year both dd and ds1 were invited by friends to do it with their families and I let them go. I couldn't believe it! People had decorated their houses, gardens, made up goody bags, dressed up - lots of people really seemed to enjoy the whole thing. I spoke to a friend about it only recently and she said they had gotten all ready and were terribly disappointed when nobody knocked.


Lots of people do enjoy it, and I think as long as you look for pumpkins and don't pick the supervised old people's bungalows, it can be fun! I felt like a right mean old sod last year, when dd and ds1 came home so happy and the dts had nothing!


As for the sweets, I think they lasted 8 months! They don't have to eat them all at once.

[WorraLiberty]

Why bureni? You don't have to take part in it you know.

Just stick a sign on the door that says, "No trick or treaters please. Happy Halloween".

[Chopstheduck]

lol @ bupcakes. Ds1 has hatched a plan with his best mate to go to a posh estate (millionaires) this year where apparently they give out cash instead of sweets

[Dumbledoresgirl]

YANBU re trick or treating. I have never let my children do it. They no longer care as far as I can tell.

YABU though with your reason. One night of sweets won't harm them! If you don't want them eating them for weeks on end, either throw them away after one night or put them somewhere only you can reach and allow them to have them at times that suit you.