By Amanda Kimball
It’s the time of year again when I find myself wandering down the candy isle. Hypnotized by the bright orange and black packaging, I wonder, “What am I going to give my trick-or-treaters this year?” Do I go with my favorites (everything chocolate), do I give out the big candy bars and become the house everyone wants to go to the following year, or do I save a few dollars and give out small, simple stuff? I am in a whirlwind of candy overload. Even though I know I shouldn’t, I always end up getting something for myself. But is what I want for myself healthy for trick-or-treaters? Probably not.
It seems that every Halloween, kids are bombarded with candy, and every day those same kids are being bombarded with messages from the media. They can never get a break from seeing media everywhere they go: on TV, at every store, and even at school. They are told how to dress, how they should do their hair, how they should look, talk, and act, and even what they should be eating. Naturally, it has become normalized for kids to eat huge amounts of candy and indulge in every kind of sweet treat during the holidays. And it all begins at Halloween.
This year, I’m going to do better. I’m teaching my kids to question the messages they are receiving through the media. Some of the questions I am going to ask them include, “When you see a sign that shows a kid eating a big candy bar with a large smile on their face, what is this sign really saying? Does this mean that kids are only really happy when they eat that specific type of candy bar?”
If our children are not taught how to decode the messages from media they encounter on a daily basis, they may begin to feel what they see, read, or hear must be true. They may think, “If I want to be happy, then I need to have that candy bar. If I want to be popular, I need to have those clothes. If I want to be beautiful, I need to make my body look like the model’s body in the picture.” We need to teach our kids to be different and learn how to break down what the media is selling.
What can I do differently for my neighborhood trick-or-treaters this year?
Here are 15 fun alternatives to candy we can give out this Halloween:
- Mini Play-Doh
- Bubbles
- Halloween stamps
- Glow Sticks (Big hit!)
- Punch balloons
- Fruit leather
- Fake mustaches
- Glider airplanes
- Healthy, organic snacks
- Erasers
- A handful of change
- Witches fingers
- Spider rings
- Stickers
- Pencils
The “candy” the media is feeding our kids is not healthy and can hold some serious dangers. As parents we have the power to help our children see past the messages and realize that beauty is not skin deep.
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Engaging stories, great discussions!Amanda Kimball will be earning her bachelor’s degree in Marriage and Family Studies this winter. She is a mother of three children and is married to a loving and devoted husband of 11 years. She loves taking family trips to the beach and can not wait to start decorating her house for Halloween!
