Dear Urban Diplomat: my wife wants to give out toothbrushes on Halloween—should she?
Dear Urban Diplomat, My wife is a dentist and wants to give out toothbrushes instead of candy for Halloween. I told her this is a lame idea and that our house will likely get egged, but she’s digging in. Is trick-or-treating the right time to make a statement about dental health, or should she just let kids stuff their faces with chocolate?
—Tooth or Dare, Liberty Village
There’s something admirable about taking an unpopular stand. Your wife could easily conform and hand out candy—after all, it would be better for business—but she clearly cares more about people’s teeth than her own popularity. Still, from a kid’s point of view, there’s nothing laudable about handing out toothbrushes on Halloween. In fact, it’s downright spooky. Since your wife feels so strongly about her anti-candy crusade, I suggest handing out cool, unsweetened treats, like stickers or yo-yos or sugar-free gum. Halloween is one of the few times kids get to unleash their inner Augustus Gloop. Your wife should let them spend their night running from ghosts and zombies instead of cavities and gum disease.
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