A stroke of genius, or just plain old cruelty?

I've told my boys (ages 3 and 4) that if they hit, kick, push, or otherwise violate each other's civil rights, then 1 piece of Halloween candy goes in the garbage for each infraction.

Both boys were at school today for most of the day, but tonight's hitting episode resulted in 3 pieces of candy being tossed (2 for hitting Jacob, 1 for hitting Mommy b/c she was throwing out candy).

I figure I should get something positive out of all of this candy (other than a positive weight gain).

Is this good, or am I too mean?

You're a genius!
I think a method of involving something dear to them usually works quite well. That or something directly related to the problem...

[DCJenn]

I vote for genius. I wouldn't throw away the Snickers, though. They would go to a very special place.

(hidden in the office for mom and dad)

Jenn

[PrincessFiona]

I'm with Jenn...and btw....GENIUS....my kids got so much candy they will be eating for months....I'm going to start the exact same program tomorrow!

kris

[mommax3]

Total genius! I would adopt the same strategy, except I already begged DH to put the kids' candy in his car so it isn't around here tempting me all day. I guess I could still use the throw away plan in the evenings.

But I do agree with Jenn and Kris about the Snickers bars......

We are DEFINITELY living in a nicer neighborhood now, I noticed last night during trick-or-treating. I have never lived anywhere where people gave out full size candy bars.....but they do here, and some of the moms on our cul-de-sac (not me ) had made special treat bags for the kids that live on this street. My boys had to come home and dump their buckets out after just our cul-de-sac.....actually, they switched to plastic Target bags, and each one ended up with a FULL Target bag.

HELP!

Sally

If you can use candy to make em pee in the potty, you can use it to make em not hit!

Oh, don't worry, the snickers are going in the freezer, right where they belong.

[Amiens]

I say genius, but because I am pregnant, it would go to the trash can in my tummy.

Crystal

[Flynn]

It works for me! They'll live and it shows how important you think NOT hitting is. Brilliant.

[Cumberland]

Genius, for sure.

My aunt and uncle would let their kids pick 10 pieces of candy, then they got the option of turning in all the candy for a bigger toy. The other option was getting nothing . I hope to do that next year. This year, we went to about five houses, and i hid the candy the minute we got home.

[spotty_dog]

Sue Ann, that's approximately what we did at Halloween. When we were small we got one piece of candy before trading the rest for goodies from the health food store (sugar free peanut butter cups with rice krispies, People Pops, and Fruit Leathers come to mind). Each year we were a little older and were allowed to keep a little more of the original haul.

I'm still here to talk about it and don't resent my momma. I think that proves that candy deprivation is nonlethal.

[SueC]

Jenn, I can't believe I didn't stumble on this sooner. I will be instituting this form of punishment in my household ASAP. And of course, the special treats will go in a special place. (Memo to self--find new hiding place, kids already know my usual hiding places)

[Cumberland]

I was just reading in Nat'l Geographic about nomadic pygmies who have almost no contact with the outside world. It said they have almost no sugar in their diets, but when they find a beehive with honey in it, the whole tribe goes virtually nuts. It said 3 year old kids were 40 feet up in a tree trying to reach the hive, people were pushing and shoving and almost in a trance. The pygmies apparently gorged until some of them were sick on the honey. Sugar definitely has a strange affect on us too doesnt it?