UNITED STATES—It is October and you know what that means: CANDY! Halloween is right around the corner and it’s a day that’s a favorite for many children because when else can you get free candy by going door to door? You can’t, however, the problem is that candy has gone up significantly in price. I mean I recall a bag of candy being under $2, now you’re paying $3 to $4 for a bag of candy and there are not many pieces of candy in that bag people.
There has been plenty of talk about many Americans choosing not to pass out candy this Halloween because they cannot afford it because of the rising costs as a result of inflation. That could be a major bummer for kids who are expecting people to pass out candy only to come to find out they’re not doing so. The problem with kids having excessive amounts of candy is the sugar overload that it can create.
Sugar, I truly never understood exactly how it can impact the body physically and mentally after consumption. However, once you have kids you start to realize that just one piece of candy can cause that kid to become wired. How would you define wired? More excitement or energy than the child would normally have people that is the best and easiest way to describe it. Now think about you giving a child unlimited access to candy? It becomes a major problem because their energy level skyrockets and they want to play, they want to jump, they want to run and do everything that would probably drive the parent in insane.
In addition, we all know candy is NOT good for one’s teeth and overall health. Sugar leads to cavities people and the more you consume the worse it becomes. In addition, for adults, because many of us like to eat that candy also, it starts to hit the waistline. You might think oh, it’s not a full sized candy bar or bag of candy, but those mini bags or bars of candy are far worse because you’re likely to consume more thinking the size won’t impact you. Wrong. You might as well eat a full-sized Snickers bar if you’re eating 3 to 4 miniature Snickers people.
So what are adults to do to curb that candy overload? Well you can bribe your children. Have them sell you that candy for cash. Cash is king and the child can use those funds to purchase toys or something they want. Is it going to be easy to barter that deal with a child? Well it depends on the age. The younger the child, the more difficult I’ve seen it, the older the child, those tweens you might have a lot more wiggle room. I didn’t go to teenager because I don’t think teens should be trick-or-treating; even though year after year I’m stunned with the age of the people who are going door to door asking for treats with their kids, and something without kids at all.
So the goal this year for any parent taking their child trick-or-treating is to NOT allow the kid to consume candy while going door to door; you need to examine that candy to ensure all is safe people. In addition, you don’t want them overeating on that sugary substance to the point that it makes them sick. Be aware there might be fewer Americans handing out candy in 2022 than in 2021, 2020 and previous years because of rising costs. As a sign, if the porch light is not on, someone is not on the porch or the house is not decorated it’s a good sign they’re not passing out candy people.
Written By Zoe Mitchell
