Inside: The Switch Witch generally is a enjoyable Halloween custom on your children. Here are the do’s and don’t for making it work.
Years in the past, I used to be chatting with a neighbor about Halloween and the mountain of sweet that enters our lives yearly after Trick-or-Treating.
“The Switch Witch comes and takes some of our candy,” she stated slyly.
Say what?
What is the Switch Witch?
I got here to study that the Switch Witch is a mysterious enchantress who arrives on Halloween evening after bedtime.
Kids set out some of their sweet for her on the finish of the evening. She takes the items of sweet and deposits one thing particular of their place.
The annual deluge of suckers and fun-sized Butterfingers stresses out numerous mother and father–so is the Switch Witch the reply?
What The Switch Witch can train children
Besides being a enjoyable custom, the Switch Witch idea has a helpful life lesson that numerous grown-ups might use too: How to place a price on what you actually like–and to not waste your time on the stuff you don’t.
How usually have you ever been handed a giant piece of mediocre, store-bought birthday cake and simply ate it as a result of it was there? Or scarfed down a second slice of pizza although it wasn’t excellent?
Putting a precedence on our favourite meals–and never losing time on what we don’t–is a ability we want in a world the place meals is in every single place.
It’s additionally a pleasant means for kids with probably life-threatening meals allergy symptoms to swap what they’ll’t eat for a particular shock.
Should you do the Switch Witch?
Personally, my boys cherished the Switch Witch. They cherished the thriller of it. They cherished waking up the following morning to see what she introduced.
They cherished dividing their trick-or-treat stash into piles: Keep. Trade. Switch Witch.
In the tip, they had been nonetheless left with a large pile, which they’d eat just a little bit at a time over the course of many weeks.
Some years, our personal Switch Witch introduced a enjoyable toy, guide, or five-dollar invoice. More usually than she likes to confess, she raced to Target on Halloween evening earlier than it closed as a result of she forgot to plan forward. Ahem.
If you’re contemplating doing the Switch Witch together with your children too, listed below are some do’s and don’ts:
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: How I Handle Halloween Candy Craziness
DO make the Switch Witch non-compulsory
The Switch Witch is imagined to be a enjoyable custom within the spirit of the Tooth Fairy or the Easter Bunny. She’s a very good witch, not a punishment–there’s no disgrace in liking and wanting sweet.
DON’T make candy the enemy
Yes, Trick of Treating can convey a large quantity of sweet into your home. And sure, there’s numerous sugar consumption taking place on the evening of Halloween. Candy is a giant a part of Halloween–and that’s okay. It’s pure and regular to have fun some events with meals. And certain, glow-sticks and plastic spider rings are good to go out for Trick-or-Treating. But there’s little doubt that for most children, sweet is the principle occasion.
So for those who demonize Halloween sweet or ask your child to provide all of it away, it’s complicated. Your little one labored arduous operating from home to deal with to earn his haul. Wasn’t that the purpose of dressing up and going house-to-house, of sifting by means of the pile and buying and selling favorites amongst mates–isn’t it what they’ve been ready for all month?
DO let your children determine what they offer the Switch Witch
In our home, my children left her the stuff they felt type of “meh” about–what they may eat if it was there however didn’t favor. In different phrases, our Switch Witch’s broomstick was made largely of Mounds, Good & Plenty, and Necco Wafers. My children usually tossed in what they’ve a surplus of as nicely.
DON’T pilfer your children’ sweet with out asking
Parents stealing their children’ Halloween sweet is a long-running joke, however I encourage you to ask first so your little one doesn’t need to really feel obsessive or protecting of her stash. Kids who fear their mother and father will take their stash could find yourself sneaking and hiding sweet–or believing the message that they’ll’t be trusted round sweet or different sweets. And asking your little one first for a chunk of sweet offers them extra observe sharing–and also you get one thing yummy!
DO contemplate letting your little one get pleasure from Trick-or-Treat with out interference
I’ve seen too many mother and father arguing with their children throughout Trick-or-Treating about what number of items of sweet they’re allowed to eat. You ought to do what works greatest for your loved ones, however personally, I all the time let my children have as a lot as they wished on Halloween evening. If they felt sick, we talked about how overeating could cause bellyaches.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: 20 Allergy-Friendly Halloween Treats
Questions concerning the Switch Witch
What in case your children aren’t on board?
If your children don’t wish to give away a few of their sweet, don’t pressure the difficulty. It’s necessary to belief our children–and for our children to belief us. Otherwise, chances are you’ll find yourself with a toddler who sneaks sweet and different “forbidden” meals and feels disgrace that she needs it.
How a lot sweet ought to the Switch Witch take?
That’s as much as you and your children. Remember–we don’t need our children feeling cheated or tricked out of the sweet they labored for.
Can’t I simply throw my children’ sweet away?
My vote is not any. Hey, I get it–it’s numerous sweet! And you simply need that pile gone so there’s no begging or negotiating within the days forward, proper? So you wait a day for the sugar-hangover to put on off, allow them to have just a few items, then take the remaining to the workplace–or dump it within the trash.
I undoubtedly perceive the inclination. When my children had been youthful, I did some stealth “candy relocation” myself. But I’ve since modified my tune. Because that received’t train your children something, besides to not belief mother and pa!
Taking away your little one’s Halloween sweet stash sends a transparent message: I don’t belief you with this.
So how do I handle the pile of sweet that’s left?
Here are some concepts:
- Make a plan collectively. The day after Trick-or-Treating, discuss what you assume is an inexpensive solution to deal with the remainder of the stash. Does one or two items a day sound doable? Would your little one favor to pack them in her lunch field or get pleasure from them at residence? My two boys’ Halloween sweet was stored in separate baggage in a cabinet they may entry. We determined collectively what an inexpensive portion was. When they had been little, it was one piece a day, which labored more often than not. They might have their deal with at any time when they wished: of their lunchbox, after faculty, after dinner, even WITH dinner. As they obtained older, they managed their very own stashes.
- Take away among the energy. Candy isn’t the end-all-be-all if it’s available. Two methods you would possibly contemplate attempting: serving the sweet together with dinner (sure, your children could eat the fun-sized bar Snickers, the transfer on to the remainder of the meal and that’s okay!) and infrequently providing as a lot as they need at snack time. Those approaches come from feeding professional and dietitian Ellyn Satter. I’ve tried each, and although they’re scary at first, I discovered them very useful (and efficient).
- Bake cookies! If your children are cool with it, bake this Skillet Cookie collectively utilizing among the additional sweet.
Bottom Line
The Switch Witch generally is a enjoyable custom on your children and train them classes round prioritizing their favorites. But the Switch Witch ought to be one thing your children WANT to do, not a sneaky means of eliminating additional sweet.