Good morning everyone and welcome to another week! Mondays can always be cause for some sighing and grumbling, however this week is Halloween, so there should be plenty of excitement in your home as your family prepares to participate in this fun, seasonal holiday. As we discussed in last week's blog you and each of your families may participate in Halloween in unique ways. Some families may treat Halloween a little differently from society, choosing to not dress up and participate only in 'fall festivals.' While many other families may partake in the regular old Halloween activities of dressing up, trick-r-treating with the kids, and then consuming far to much candy than is good for them :) Each family will explore Halloween differently, and each event will have their own element of fun for adults and kiddos alike.
However, no matter how you choose to allow your children to participate in Halloween, keeping them safe should be of the utmost priority. Eating candy, trick-r-treating, and being around adults that are dressed in costumes all have the potential to lead your children into hazardous situations. Here are a few suggestions from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) http://www.emergencyemail.org/newsemergency/anmviewer.asp?a=702&z=29 and the Halloween Safety website (http://www.halloween-safety.com/halloween_safety_kids.html) on how you can keep your children safe this Halloween.
First, lets discuss costumes. Any props that your children are carrying (weapons, knives, etc) should be FAKE and soft if at all possible. Encouraging your children to carry real weapons is dangerous, and even plastic toys may cause accidents if they are not handled carefully. Be sure to include a light-up element on the costume, or have your children carry a flashlight while trick-r-treating, so that they can be seen on dark streets. Make sure that costumes are flame-resistant and fit well, so that vision is not impaired and tripping or falling won't be an issue. If you are utilizing some sort of body or hair paint, be sure to test it out on a small area of your child's skin first, to check for irritation or an allergic reaction.
Second, as a parent, make sure you know ahead of time the schedule for the night and where your children will be at all times, especially if you are not planning on accompanying your older children in their Halloween endeavors. Here are some pre- Halloween and trick-r-treating checklist items for you as a parent:
- look up online where sex-offenders may be living in your neighborhood and make a wise decision about the route your kids take to trick-r-treat. Halloween is the perfect time for perpetrators to prey on young children.
- if your family does not trick-r-treat, know ahead of time whether or not the fall event your kids are attending is open to the public, requires a ticket for access, or if they do not have any safety measures in place for keeping out Halloween extremists. Knowing whether or not your kids will be intermixing with all types from the public will allow you to make a wise decision on attendance and chaperones.
- set a trick-r-treat route ahead of time and draw out a map with your kids. This way you will know where they are going to be at all times.
- set a curfew and send your kids with a cell-phone.
- the best way to ensure safe trick-r-treating or party attending is to go along for the fun. Halloween isn't just for kids after all.
Remember, your children, no matter their age, should never trick-r-treat alone. Safety is always in numbers and applies the same to Halloween activities. Also, remind your children, that they should never enter a house or car for anything. Candy givers should answer the door and pass out candy without requiring children to enter the house. Remind your kids that if anyone wants them to come inside, they should move on to the next house. Also, because your kids are likely to be walking the streets while trick-r-treating, remind them to be careful when crossing, to look both ways, and to always have their eye out for cars.
Remind your older, teenage children that vandalizing, even on Halloween, is wrong and that treating animals (yes, even black cats) unkindly, is cruel and not to be tolerated. Halloween should be fun for everything and everyone, so ruining property and hurting others is not cool.
As far as candy and Halloween treats go, remind your children that whether trick-r-treating, attending a party, or participating in a fall festival they should only take or consume factory wrapped treats where there are no rips or tampering that has occurred. Also, if you have rules about eating candy in your house, be sure to establish them ahead of time.
Lastly, remind your children that while there may some adults dressed up as fun (or scary) characters, they are to never ever go anywhere with an adult, allow an adult to touch them, or be lured away from the group. Halloween can provide an enticing atmosphere that may distract your children from remembering how to keep themselves safe. It is your job as a parent to remind them of the rules and establish with them what is, and what is not appropriate behavior by an adult. Obviously, attending Halloween celebrations with your children is the only way to ensure that you are keeping them safe, however this may not always be possible, so instill these Halloween safety tips beforehand.
Don't let these tips take away from the fun of Halloween. Enjoy making or buying costumes with your kids this week and send them out to have a fun evening Wednesday night. Fun is important, however safety is necessary. Enjoy the week, and the enjoy your kids!
No comments:
Post a Comment