Why do people get so angry about moms who don't let theIt kids have junk food? Maybe save your outrage for abusive or neglectful moms?

I feels sorry for those kids too, and I get OP's vent, but there's really nothing you can do about it, OP. It's your brother's job to deal with this, and it sounds like he's giving in, so that's that. Sucks that her personal ideology is ruining one of the highlights of childhood for her children, but that's just it - they're HER children. Step away and give them nice holiday presents instead.

My brother's wife is super into health foods, organic everything, nothing processed. I find it annoying, but it's really none of my business.

If you know she doesn't want the kids to chew gum, why do you offer.

Even the crunchiest of my anti-candy friends lets their kids go trick or treating for the fun aspect. Then they trade the candy for a toy or something.

I'm guessing you don't have kids, OP? Because everybody has their own list of things they'd prefer not be offered to their kid.

but maybe she is a total bitch and the Halloween issue is just the organic, vegan, non-icing on the lovingly homemade rice cake.

You are WAY overreacting. So she eatw organic and doesn't feed her kids sugar - that makes her a bitch? Really? She's not coming into your house and throwing out your food, so what do you care?

My SIL thinks vanilla is poison and doesn't allow her child to have it. I have no idea why and haven't asked - presumably for some reason that I will just think is bizarre, so I say "okay" and take care not to offer her kid food with vanilla in it. End of story, no issue there. She's a nice lady, with her quirks (don't we all have quirks?), she's a loving mom and she makes my brother happy. Good enough for me. The fact that she wouldn't eat half the stuff we keep in our kitchen is a non-issue here.

He was probably trying to prove that he loved her by marrying her. It's unfathomable to me how anyone can be such a narcissist that they see someone else's marriage as being about trying to prove something to them, rather than, well, love.

Maybe suggest an alternative for next year, so that her children don't have to dwell on what they're missing. One of my students who doesn't celebrate Halloween goes camping every year for that weekend.

Anonymous wrote:
While the entire neighborhood was outside trick-or-treating including children from families who are way more prominent then theirs, my nieces and nephews were inside with sad faces looking out of the window at the rest of the children outside enjoying themselves.

I really do not know why my brother married that bitch. I have never cared for her. Never have. Never will.

Just offering my nieces and nephews a simple stick of chewing gum turns into a huge fucking argument with her.

I do not know what my brother was trying to prove by marrying her but he did and the in the end our entire family ends up losing.

FUCK THAT BITCH!!!!!

I am sorry OP, I can understand how this can be frustrating. People will say MYOB but in a family that is hard to do when their business is right in your face.

I think you've had too much candy yourself. You don't exactly make a compelling argument.

They are HER kids more than they are YOUR nephews.

You sound very hostile towards her. I am not surprised she doesn't like you.

You seem a little overinvested and your reaction is pretty disproportionate. Just saying.

What does how prominent the family is have to do with anything?

She is the mother or step-mother of the children. Her opinion has 50% weight in decisions.

Trick-or-treating is fun but not a childhood necessity. And family prominence? Huh?

While the entire neighborhood was outside trick-or-treating including children from families who are way more prominent then theirs, my nieces and nephews were inside with sad faces looking out of the window at the rest of the children outside enjoying themselves.

I really do not know why my brother married that bitch. I have never cared for her. Never have. Never will.

Just offering my nieces and nephews a simple stick of chewing gum turns into a huge fucking argument with her.

I do not know what my brother was trying to prove by marrying her but he did and the in the end our entire family ends up losing.

FUCK THAT BITCH!!!!!