Am I Evil????

ZoeLifts · October 2012

Is this just fantasy?

penrbrown · October 2012

Caught in a landslide...

tmlombardi · October 2012

I say take them trick or treating and go with them. You can get in the exercise you want by walking around and carrying some of their candy. Afterwards find a charity close by and donate some of your candy. There are many children's hospitals who use Halloween candy for the Holidays. In our area there are several dentists who will pay the kids for a certain amount of candy, maybe you could check into that for your area. Good luck.

gingerjen7 · October 2012

I agree with just about everyone (on the first page). It's not fair to punish your kids when they didn't do anything wrong. It's one thing if you made a decision like, "We don't celebrate a holiday based in pagan rituals with satanic/demonic/witchcraft tie-ins and blah blah blah" or "We don't allow candy in the house" where your decision is rooted in what you believe is in their best interests, but your motivation here is entirely selfish--you want to go to Zumba and you lack the self control to stay out of their candy.

Like so many other parenting questions, it all comes down to why you're doing it. It's like asking "Is it okay to spank my kid?" Depends on why you're doing it. As a consequence = not my preferred method of discipline, but okay. You're really doing it because you're super pissed = not okay.

In your case, you're doing what you want, not what you think is best for your kids. It's not the worst parenting decision in the world, but it still kinda sucks.

Cese27 · October 2012

I find its always best for a parent to put themselves first before the kids,no wait sorry I got that the wrong way round.

cgarand · October 2012

Some people just want to see the world burn!

scxo11 · October 2012

It's not evil. But it's extremely selfish.

Yogi_Carl · October 2012

On the other hand - so they're (kids) denied the joy of eating nutritious foods because of a silly tradition that no-one really knows the origins of? Well done the OP for standing up to convention and opting out.

What to do? Go to your Zumba class and have a great workout then come back and have apple bobbing games, making low sugar gingerbread biscuits together, making a nutritious fruit punch with spices and dried fruit - if you feel up to it after Zumba you could even let the kids invite some of their friedns over so they can feel some REAL Halloween energy vibes instead of this plastic and junk food crap we accept from goodness knows where these days.

So - you can have both!

hollyNhollywood · October 2012

No escape from reality

tetecia · October 2012

You are the best mom EVER!!!
Seriously, my aunts are just like your mom and what happened when the kids grew up?.....they rebelled like crazy.
all along, i was supposed to be the 'evil' child. pffft.

As for the OP,Let your kids have some fun! If you don't have the will power to stay our of their candy, then you have a hell of a lot of other issues you need to deal with.
Halloween is STILL a very big thing for me and my family. It is our favorite holiday; even I (and dad if he doesn't work) get's dressed up to take them trick or treating. it's about Fun, and imagination. Not about becoming lazy, fat diabetics before they hit 13.

Marksman21 · October 2012

Woof, okay, the horse is dead and puply now.

I think the overall message is made ... yes, it would be considered a poor choice to side with your Zumba class over your children's enjoyment of a once a year event. That said though, there are a LOT of great suggestions for alternatives or even strategies.

The conversation over wether or not to do so at all in certain neighborhoods, rules, etc, has become a secondary topic in this thread. Probably better to move that to another thread. I would side on going the extra mile for your kids, but everyone's ways are different, and everyone's entitled to raise their kids as they see fit.

I hope we can keep this a little civil, this is turning to ugly real fast.

sweetalker · October 2012

Okay, maybe I'm missing something here, but:

WHY

CAN'T

SOMEONE

ELSE

TAKE

THEM

TRICK-OR-TREATING?

ZoeLifts · October 2012

Open your eyes
look up to the sky and see

Ivy_leaves · October 2012

-_-;
Not evil, just mean.

BinaryPulsar · October 2012

Ok, so first you are minimizing the real meaning of the word evil. And instead you are being selfish to go to Zumba instead of celebrating Halloween with your children if they are still at an age that it is important to them (it's just one day). There are lots of things you can do and they can still get candy, just not so much. And you will need to restrain yourself from eating THEIR candy. There are also exchange programs where you can exchange the excess candy for something else for the kids, look it up in your area. If we get more than the kids can eat, I sometimes have my husband bring it to work with him to share. You have a lot of options other than going to Zumba or eating your children's candy. You just need to look it up, ask around, be resourceful. Halloween party. Halloween dance party. Unitarian Universalist church party. Mall. Community events galore.

JennKie1 · October 2012

Evil, no. Selfish, yes. Why should your kids miss out on a fun (once a year) night? If you want to Zumba you can get up earlier in the morning, or do it later after the kids are in bed (assuming you have it on DVD), or re-arrange your schedule and do it on a different day. If you work, take a walk on your lunch hour that day instead (better than nothing). It's great that you are that committed to your exercise program, but it shouldn't be at the expense of your kids. It's not their fault your workout conflicts with their Trick or Treating, and it's not their fault that it's easier to say "no" to them than it is to say "no" to the goodies. Give them a break - they'll be too big to Trick or Treat before you know it.

We all have our weaknesses, and I'm sure that sugar is a big one for many of us (myself included). This is the time you put yourself to the test. It's o.k. to have a piece of candy or two, just don't go overboard. I love, love, love candy, but my kids are trick-or-treating this year, and we are handing out the "good stuff", not some boring old pretzels or something healthy. I'm not going to lie, I raided our Halloween candy and had a fabulous Fun-Sized Butterfinger last night, but just one. You can do it if you really really want to.

Take them Trick-or-Treating.

penrbrown · October 2012

AliciaStinger · October 2012

This is basically what I was thinking. If you have five kids, and they take in enough candy to fill half a garbage bag...regardless of who eats it, NOBODY really needs that much. Take them out for a little bit, tell them to pick out their favorites and keep them for themselves. You guys can throw out/donate/whatever the rest. Every year when we went trick-or-treating, my mom would sort through the candy that my brother and I received. I had a spacer and we both have bad enamel, so in addition to sorting out the unwrapped/funky-looking candy, my mom got rid of chewy candy like Laffy Taffy and gum, anything with caramel, and things that we didn't like. You can do something like that with your kids as well to kind of cut down on what's available to you AND them.

EDIT - Halloween was my favorite day of the year for the first 3/4 of my life to date (I'm 21 - it's less exciting now, but I still like it). There were a couple of years that my brother and I didn't go TOTing because our parents were sick or busy. I don't think your kids should have to sacrifice because you lack self-control, but ultimately, you're in charge; they have to follow your rules OR let them go with friends and maybe let the friend keep anything that your kids can't/won't eat within a couple of days.

Cranktastic · October 2012

heh

and

to no trick or treats!!!!!!!!!!!

minkakross · October 2012

I have two little ones. My oldest now 5 has great teeth but no self control, she stole candy between meals and in the night every chance she could last Halloween. my youngest now 2 has horrible teeth and due to that has been sugar free for just over 6 months. I of course am here on MFP so candy is not on my agenda and to be supportive I went sugar free with the toddler back in April. The last sugar either of us had was her birthday cake. Even still they will get to trick or treat. They will get to eat as much as they want Halloween night, in fact I dont care if they eat so much they get sick on it, that's what we all wanted to do as kids anyway. I will simply avoid it because I don't know if I could eat just one so I won't even bother to try moderation. The only catch is the next day all the rest of the candy leaves the house. my approach so I don't have a set back on my own diet is to either chew gum or nibble on healthy snacks like carrots and simply not touch the candy.

Am I Evil????

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