Dressing up and trick-or-treating on Halloween is a core memory for a lot of people. Kids love to get into the Halloween spirit by putting on costumes and visiting their neighbors for a treat. But many of us know all that candy isn't great for our kids. And if we're being honest, we probably eat way more than we should. So, what is a parent to do?
Emily and Levi Jensen devised what they thought was a perfect solution for their 2-year-old daughter, Aria, this Halloween. They let her enjoy trick-or-treating but limit the amount of candy she can keep. After Aria chooses a few pieces, she takes the rest and puts them on the porch for the "Switch Witch." She comes along and trades Aria's candy for a toy. Although in theory it sounds like a good thing, a lot of people thought that the parents were sucking all of the fun out of Halloween.
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Emily and Levi posted the sweet video of Aria on Instagram.
The quick clip shows Aria strolling through the neighborhood dressed as a happy jack-o'-lantern. She gets her treats and comes home with a basketful. During the clip, Levi explains that Aria gets to pick five of her favorite pieces of candy, and the rest goes to the Switch Witch.
In return, Aria receives an Elsa doll. She seems excited, but she is only 2. People wondered if she would change her tune as she got older.
The Jensens had no idea the Switch Witch would be so triggering.
Much to the couple's surprise, only some were on board with the concept.
"When we posted the video, we had no idea the comments would be so heated," Emily Jensen told Today.
As a nurse, she thought it was a healthy alternative to too much candy.
"I remember thinking, 'What a great way for kids to enjoy the festivities of Halloween without eating excessive amounts of candy," she said. "The 'Switch Witch' isn't for everyone, but it works for us," she said.
The comment section made it appear the parents are the witches.
This video went viral, even mega-viral. It has 12.9 million views on Instagram, and with that many views, there are a lot of thoughts. More than 586,000 people liked the video, but there were plenty who didn't.
"Eff that switch witch. Sorry but this is so silly. It's Halloween which is CANDY NOT TOYS…so ridiculous," one person wrote.
Someone else wrote that this kind of thing can lead to long-term food issues.
"My parents did this and it was so detrimental to my relationship with food. 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," another comment reads. "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 then restricting the 'bad' food."
Lots of other comments focused on moderation.
"Why not just teach moderation? Like it's a great idea but it's not really teaching her anything," another commenter wrote.
"Dude, teach your kids to limit their intake of candy if you got a problem with it, this is just taking the fun out of Halloween," someone else suggested.
It wasn't all bad, and some followers loved the idea.
Other adults thought the mad people were overreacting.
"All these people mad in the comments candy barely even contains a single real ingredient, artificial dyes, gmo trash, so much sugar and artificial sweeteners. I think this DOES teach moderation," one person wrote. "5 pieces of bite sized candy is plenty for little toddlers. They aren't 'missing out' I promise ."
Some parents plan on implementing it themselves.
"I love this idea! I have a toddler and he doesn't need candy, but I want him to experience going out and Trick or Treating. I don't eat candy and he doesn't need more than 5 pieces at TWO years old! What a cute tradition to start!" one comment reads.
And, of course, there were the parents who had their own methods for reducing the amount of candy.
"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 ," someone else wrote.
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It was just a suggestion.
No one is saying that all parents must have a Switch Witch at home. But if it works for the Jensens, that is great. Let them have their fun.
We don't hate the idea, but we might let our kids keep a few more than five pieces, if for no other reason than momma needs a Snickers every once in a while, too.
