Halloween- do I hand out candy or let kids take from the bowl when they come to do the door?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No issues with limiting the take to one or two pieces, but as a parent of a kid with food allergies, I'm always appreciative of the houses where the kids are invited to select their own candy.

+1.

I usually hold the bowl out and tell the kids how many they may take.

[Anonymous]

I throw one piece in each bag. I don't feel like getting into a "select two" ordeal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No issues with limiting the take to one or two pieces, but as a parent of a kid with food allergies, I'm always appreciative of the houses where the kids are invited to select their own candy.

+1.

I usually hold the bowl out and tell the kids how many they may take.

And if there's a line and kids are holding it up by dithering, I do a countdown, "Three seconds and then I choose for you -- 3, 2, 1." Just like my own kids.

[Anonymous]

Great. Another thing I never knew I was doing wrong until I read it here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's customary to let the kids grab as much as they can with one hand.

This was contributed by a 10 year old, I'm guessing!
In no way is that customary. Most of the kids in our neighborhood are very polite, and if you hold out the bowl, they will either take one, or ask "how many?" Personally, I find it annoying in all situations when the pushy grabby people get more (I hate it when our economy works that way too), so I will often tell them how many they can have. And if I can, I reward the people who are polite!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I throw one piece in each bag. I don't feel like getting into a "select two" ordeal.

Signed, my cheap MIL

[Anonymous]

This candy thing is kind of a manners test for the neighborhood kids. My kids have been told very clearly that they take ONE piece of candy, and if then offered more, they may take ONE more. Those grabby greedy kids drive me nuts.

[Anonymous]

We live in a community that gets about 250 kids on Halloween. I sit outside with neighbors and we let them take from the bowl. Most only take 1, I hope they take a handful so I don't have leftovers. Some kids take one and then look up at me with those eyes and I say "take a handful", then they grad a second one, every once in a while a child will take a handful. It does not take long, I am not opening and closing a door.

But, I don't think there is a rule.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This candy thing is kind of a manners test for the neighborhood kids. My kids have been told very clearly that they take ONE piece of candy, and if then offered more, they may take ONE more. Those grabby greedy kids drive me nuts.

Funny I am the opposite. Those dainty kids ... not my favorite, unless they are 2 yo. The other kids crack me up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This candy thing is kind of a manners test for the neighborhood kids. My kids have been told very clearly that they take ONE piece of candy, and if then offered more, they may take ONE more. Those grabby greedy kids drive me nuts.

Funny I am the opposite. Those dainty kids ... not my favorite, unless they are 2 yo. The other kids crack me up.

Well we know who your kids are then! Lol. It cracks me up when folks brag about teaching bad manners.

[Anonymous]

Live in gentrifying neighborhood in DC and I hand it out (all the same stuff, except lollipops for really little kids). Once watched neighbor leave out bowl and a group of kids take both the candy AND the bowl. If I didn't have kids myself, I wouldn't deal with this at all.

[Anonymous]

You come to the door in a Buffalo Bill style costume a la Silence of the Lambs and say "it takes one piece of candy or it gets the hose."

[Anonymous]

I hand you one piece of candy.

When each house let's you root around for two or more, or hands you that, you end up with about 200 pieces of candy and that's ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I throw one piece in each bag. I don't feel like getting into a "select two" ordeal.

Signed, my cheap MIL

Your kids don't need a handful of candy from each house.

[Anonymous]

Never knew people didn't let the kids choose.