A set of parents have sparked a debate after sharing the Halloween candy tradition they use with their daughter.
Emily and Levi Jensen are both active in the health profession as one is a nurse and the other is a nutritionist. The pair recently posted on their joint Instagram account about what they call the “Switch Witch” method.
The idea behind this method is there is a character called a Switch Witch, based on the children’s book with the same name, who turns Halloween candy into a prize for children. The catch is the children have to pick out candy after trick-or-treating that they are willing to give up for the prize.
“Trick-or-treating is fun, but kids don’t really need all that candy, so here’s what we do instead,” Levi could be heard saying at the start of the Instagram Reel.
“The SWITCH WITCH is back!” Emily and Levi’s caption began. “This has been such a fun tradition! And better yet, it’s been a way to let our daughter enjoy every bit of Halloween without eating tons of candy.”
The couple explained that with their two-year-old named Aria, she is only allowed to keep five pieces of candy after she finishes trick-or-treating and the rest of her haul must go into a bucket for the Switch Witch. Then, while she sleeps through the night, the candy will be replaced with a toy.
However, many people who viewed the post were critical of the family’s tradition, with one person suggesting it doesn’t teach “anything”. “Why not teach moderation?” they wrote. “Like, it’s a great idea but it’s not really teaching her anything.”
“My parents did this and it was so detrimental to my relationship with food,” another commenter wrote, using their own experience to warn the parents. “Everything was monitored and restricted so when I had a chance to have some ‘unhealthy’ food when they weren’t around, I went wild with it.
“Don’t do this to your kids. Teach them that the candy will always be there so they don’t have to eat it all at once. Build a good relationship with food rather than restricting the ‘bad’ food.”
Other commenters simply viewed the parents’ actions as trying to deprive their child of “fun”. “Some parents really don’t like their kids having fun wtf,” one commenter wrote.
However, not all viewers were against the Switch Witch tradition, as some people viewed it as a smart way to include children who may have allergies to certain ingredients in the celebration of the holiday.
Some people defended the Jensen’s by explaining that they thought the tradition did teach moderation, despite other people alleging otherwise. “Five pieces of bite-sized candy is plenty for little toddlers. They aren’t ‘missing out’ I promise,” one comment read.
One person even shared their own version of the Switch Witch tradition that they do with their own children. “I let my kids sell me their candy if they want to. I pay $1 for 10 pieces and then I just give it back out to the trick or treaters.”
The Independent has contacted the Jensens for comment.
