All of the parents on our street met last night to talk about what we’re going to do for the kids this Halloween. We like to get together and plan a neighborhood party or try to coordinate all the kids to go out together.

But the topic of discussion turned into what “treats” to give the kids. OK, so it’s no secret that kids eat A LOT of sugar these days and that obesity is running rampant with kids in the U.S. I mean, come on…we’ve all heard the news of how childhood obesity is at an all time high. But this is Halloween! It’s the one time when you SHOULD be able to eat candy and get a sugar rush. And although, at first I had planned on standing strong on my philosophy - apparently my neighbor wasn’t the only mother concerned with letting her kids have too much “junk” this year.

And honestly, now that we have a new trick-or-treat game plan, I think this year is going to be a fun change of pace. We all agreed to give out toys instead of candy. Nothing major, we’re not talking X-Boxes or remote controlled cars. More like stickers, pencils, Play-Doh or glow sticks, in addition to a piece of candy here or there.

Most of the kids in our neighrborhood are too young to realize that they’re missing out on the cavity creating surplus that halloween normally brings, but if the trend catches on we’ll still end up with a bunch of cute kids in costumes and far less trips to the dentist.