Halloween is near, and a frilly butterfly costume has been acquired. Amelia wakes up every morning asking, "Is it Halloween?"

This holiday brings back such great memories for me. I remember running free through the dark neighborhoods with my friends, trying to fill our gigantic sacks to the brim and avoid the houses that gave out apples, stuffing ourselves with chocolate along the way. The feeling of freedom is tangible even now.

These days, no child goes out alone on Halloween. Just this week, I read the obligatory Halloween safety tips, and I couldn't help thinking wistfully about how much things have changed in this paranoid parenting culture. There was the ubiquitous tip: Don't let your child eat any candy until you have checked it all.

Of course! We all know that letting your child eat unchecked candy is akin to child abuse. I have to wonder what exactly we're checking for. Do we really think our neighbors have stuck pins and razor blades in our children's candy, dusted it with anthrax? I guess there were a couple incidents that made a news years ago, and now we will forever be protecting our children from their dangerous candy.

And then there is the tip that seems to be gaining popularity in this age of obesity: Trade your child's candy for money or a toy.

A part of me thinks this is a great idea. I certainly don't want Amelia to become a sugar junkie demanding candy bars at every meal. I've worked hard to make sure she thinks of fruit as dessert and chocolate only as a special treat.

But I remember hauling in that bag of candy each year, what an accomplishment it felt like. It didn't matter whether you ate the candy, just that you had it. It was a trophy. I'm going to try and err on the side of giving Amelia this sweet indulgence without guilt or reservation. Just a little taste of the bad old days when kids ran free.

Kristin writes monthly about food for TriangleMom2Mom.

Every Wednesday, a rotating group of moms writes about what they're eating and feeding their kids.

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MONDAY: Meet!
TUESDAY: Ask!
WEDNESDAY: Eat!
THURSDAY: Play!
FRIDAY: Out!