I’m not a fan of taxes BUT I do make an exception one day a year.
On Halloween, I’m okay with becoming a tax collector of sorts. The candy tax was probably one of the first parenting enforcements that I’ve enjoyed implementing.
What Is The Candy Tax?
When my kids were younger, we covered more ground canvasing the neighborhood if I was leading the trick or treating navigating.
As part of my commission for assisting in their candy abundance and also out of parental concern for their teeth, I issued the candy tax.
I tell my kids that I’m concerned about their potential for cavities, but the reality is that I also enjoy skimming their candy piles in hopes of a few Take 5 Candy Bars and Reese’s Cups.
If I score a Reese Pumpkin that’s even better because those have even more peanut butter.
My younger son tends to eat the chocolate last because he likes sour candy more which totally works to my benefit.
How does the Candy Tax work?
The candy tax is open to interpretation but I tend to skim the types of candy that I enjoy which typically means that there is a lot of chocolate in my future.
You can choose to make yours a percentage of the spoils as a life lesson on taxes.
A Candy Confession Survey that Backs Me Up
The results from the Crest Candy Confessions make me feel better about my parenting tactics for Halloween.
86% of parents eat candy that was given to their child while trick-or-treating.
Most people (73%) purposefully buy more Halloween candy than they needed for trick-or-treaters so they can eat the extra.
44% of parents admitted to eating more Halloween candy than their children.
Only 48% of adults enforce stricter teeth brushing/flossing routine on Halloween for themselves. However, 70% parents enforce stricter teeth brushing/routines on Halloween for their children.
Sneaky parents! Over 50% of parents admitted that they snuck a few pieces of candy from their children’s candy stash without them noticing. 34% of parents insisted on “inspecting” the candy, only to hide a stash for themselves. Only 4% of parents reported that they do not eat their child’s candy.
The average parent eats one-fourth of their children’s Halloween candy.
Four in 10 adults say they enjoy the holiday even more now than when they were a child. For 37% of these adults, the reason why is because there’s no limit on the amount of candy they can consume.
A responsible 58% of adults do limit their candy consumption on Halloween night and 75% of parents limit the amount of candy their children eat on the holiday.
41% of parents compensate for Halloween candy by serving a healthier dinner on the holiday itself or the next night.
72.7% of mothers limit their children to a maximum of 10 pieces of candy on Halloween. Fathers set their child’s candy limit a bit higher, with over 60% setting limits between 11 – 31+.
Kids looking to swap their candy for cold, hard cash will have a better chance with dad. 23.59% of dads said they would offer to buy back their kids’ candy as a way to limit their children’s candy consumption.
Dads are also more likely to trade candy for toys or other small gifts. 38.53% of dads use this tactic whereas only 14.48% of moms would.
What if you still have too much leftover Halloween candy?
Even after the candy tax, my boys tend to have way too much candy…and nothing drives me crazier than finding candy wrappers all over the house.
If you don’t want all of the temptation and extra candy in your house, you can find drop-off locations all over the country where you can donate your extra Halloween candy to be shipped to a soldier that will brighten the day of service members, wounded heroes, and veterans.
Breakfast of Champions on November 1st
Confession: this is what breakfast looks like in our house on November 1st and I’m sure that many other homes sneak in a few pieces of their favorite treats too.
Some families may have more self-control than others, but I seriously doubt that anyone is sticking to 1-2 pieces the day after Halloween.
Trick or Treat YO’ Self and Save on Candy and Your Healthy Smile
Kids and Parents are going to eat candy on and after Halloween
So why fight it?
Just make sure that your kids know that it’s more important than ever to make sure that they are taking care of their teeth!
“You don’t have to brush all of your teeth, just the ones you want to keep”
So, bring on the candy because Crest has you covered this Halloween!
Disclosure: This conversation is sponsored by Crest. All opinions are my own.
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