how to sneak halloween candy away from your little goblin.

We all do it. (You know you do too.) We all dig through our kids Halloween candy stash for that covenanted chocolate bar or sour candy. Sneaking hard-earned Halloween candy from your little kiddos takes stealth-ninja-like prescision. You can’t just go taking whatever prized candy you like right in front of their eyes. Unless you want to see a little princess turn into a green-eyed monster in three seconds flat, just don’t do it. No, this takes planning. Strategic planning.

Do your research. While under the guise of examining the kiddos candy for the infamous “bad candy”, scope out the candy you really want most. You may have to confiscate some of your favorites as aforementioned “bad candy”. For me it’s the Resse’s Peanut Butter Cups. Once upon a time my kids hated peanut butter, so this was literally taking candy from a baby. The job was almost too easy. But now, that all has changed and all bets are off. I have to be a little more clever about it.

Find a hiding place. After your kiddos have had their limited number of pieces of candy, put it away. Put it on top of the fridge or in a top cabinet where it is hard to see. This serves two purposes. First, if kids can’t see the candy everyday they can’t gauge how much candy should or shouldn’t be in the stash. Secondly, if it is hard to reach, you can dole out the candy as you see fit. Again, it will be hard for them to gauge the candy contents.

Deny everything. If you find yourself partaking in the candy bucket a little too much and they start to catch on…lie. Lie like you’ve never lied before. I generally don’t condone lying to your kids, but is it really a lie if it is for their own good? Too much candy is bad for kids. It makes them hyper and gives them cavities. You would be being a good parent. Now, you need come up with a good story. Tell them mice got into the bucket and ate all the chocolate. Some of the candy expired and you had to throw it out. Or go into denial mode.  “I don’t know where all the candy has gone. You must have ate it all, honey.”

Anyhoo, that’s just a few suggestions that has worked for me. Here’s wishing you a Happy Halloween and hoping the bucket is full of your favorite candy this year.