Parenting Food Tricks – Bribe Your Kids Out of Their Candy
A while back, I discovered The Tale of the Great Pumpkin. I heard it in conversation. I read it on website after website, this spookytacular tale of bribing the kiddos out of their candy.
I am convinced that one brilliant parent out there came up with this remarkably savvy tool for reducing the sugar buzz factor around their house. But, I can’t find anything that gives credit where credit is due. Thank you brilliant anonymous benefactor.
That said, there is no tried and true tale actually attached to this creative approach to a family tradition.
So, here’s the official OBE take – that is sure to work on an unsuspecting toddler. But, you may have to add a bit more creative fun to it all for the older kids who have clued in that Santa, the Tooth Fairy AND the Great Pumpkin are more myth than magic.
In a land long ago and far away lived a Great Pumpkin (that’s as far as most people got, officially).
Sometimes the Great Pumpkin is superhero-like, saving us all from the candy-coated monsters. Sometimes he is just simply the benevolent gifter of cool gear in exchange for his favorite candies. A bit of a candy fan, this Great Pumpkin, he is happy to supply any generous tiny person with stickers, spare change (pennies or nickels), or a very special treat of their wish when LOTS of candy comes into play.
The Great Pumpkin is all about choices.
Kiddos who want to make sure their new pal drops by for a month can put out a handful of candy a night, those who are concerned that he’ll be so busy that he’ll only be able to drop by once or twice can go the route of getting all the candy out fast in return for a toy, book or some other cool thing they’ve been eyeballing.
And, kiddos with allergies can fork over the candy that they know will make them sick for some candy that is on the OK list (we’re starting this one at our house this year). The Great Pumpkin is all about keeping tiny people in the best of health and feeling great.
Finally, for those kiddos who know better than to fall for the pumpkin gig, set some candy-related rules out before they go trick-or-treating. Let them know what the ultimate limits on candy eating are, and that it doesn’t mean they can’t go out and get a big haul. It just means that, when they get home, that haul goes right down the Great Pumpkin’s gullet and toward sugar-free alternatives.
What is it we are supposed to do with all of that candy we bribed our kids out of, you ask?
Good question. In our house, it would disappear instantly and reappear in the form of an additional five pounds on the scale (I will not reveal whose five pounds.:))
I recommend freezing it (Christmas stockings), baking your favourites into cookies or muffins, using those candy corns and other crazy treats for crafts and having that bit of a snack yourself.
A parental sugar buzz is pretty much like breathing, especially after the craziness of Fright Night.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!
Category: EAT LOCAL, Food & Your Family
About the Author (Author Profile)
Robin Rivers is Our Big Earth’s Publisher and Sr. Partner. Able to survive on coffee alone. Often can be found leaping tall buildings with the help of great friends. Predisposed to odd hats and the color orange. In love with imagination, her kids and that crazy guy who married her.Subscribe
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This sounds like a great plan for our household. My DD can give her allergen filled candies to the Great Pumpkin in exchange for something healthier or a prize. I can’t wait to tell her the story. Thanks!