Yahoo Lifestyle Parents Are Bashing a New Halloween Trend: 'The Grinch Of October 31'
Halloween trends are catching a lot of flack from parents this year. First, they bashed boo baskets, and now they're taking aim at a newer phenomenon: the Switch Witch.
The Switch Witch is kind of like Elf on the Shelf for Halloween. It encourages children to swap out most of their candy haul for a gift. Here's how it works: kids return home from trick-or-treating. They select their five favorite sweets and leave the rest outside for the Switch Witch, who magically swaps out the candy for a toy or book or whatever else their parents feel like buying.
In theory, this might sound like a good thing: fewer cavities and sugar highs. But some parents aren't exactly thrilled with the change to tradition.
"Switch Witch is a thief of joy," one person wrote on Reddit.
"Let kids be kids. Overloading on candy for a week or so isn't going to be the end of the world," another person added. "Or just limit it to a few pieces a day."
"Why not just limit the amount of candy they can have in a day and let it last them a few months? Seems like less work/ money spent, plus teaches moderation and self-control," a third critic echoed.
Thousands commented on creator @emilyxlevi's Instagram post on the Switch Witch, calling the parenting bloggers out for "literally cheating [their] kid out of a childhood."
Others called Switch Witch the "the Grinch of October 31." And one commenter went as far to say the trend is "how eating disorders are made!"
However, some parents are seeing the value in the Switch Witch.
"Very neat idea!" a parent wrote on Instagram. "I have a toddler and he doesn't need candy, but I want him to experience going out and Trick or Treating," another said. "I don't eat candy and he doesn't need more than 5 pieces at TWO years old. What a cute tradition to start!"
"I would've loved to do this with the candy I didn't like," a user added.
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