Halloween can be a fun and exciting holiday for kids. Unfortunately, it can also be a very dangerous holiday. Trick-or-treating although fun, is a pedophiles dream. It’s dark and there are tons unsupervised ‘silly’ children running around. Please ensure you discuss with your kids some very simple safety tips so they will return to you safely!
#1- Make sure to follow your city’s rules about times. It keeps kids safe and it’s respectful to neighbors! By letting kids go before or after the allotted times is a great time for predators to be out and about. There will naturally be less kids out at those times and there will likely be less adults around too, makes grabbing a kid much easier. It also ensures that your children are respectful to your neighborhoods. Halloween is likely the #1 day for vandalism and unfortunately it’s done by kids aged 13-18. It’s unfortunate that people have to guard their houses this night to ensure that their possessions stay in one piece.
#2- Only visit neighborhoods you are familiar with. To ensure your kids don’t get lost and confused make sure you and them are familiar with their areas. Making sure you are aware of your areas will also help you keep an eye out for when things are out of place and faces that don’t look right. Make sure you set boundaries for your children: to include where they can go and what times they need to be home or checking in with you.
#3- Avoid costumes that could be mistaken as threatening. With all the violence with young kids and guns coming to attention many cities are being strict about kids with weapons. Don’t let your children fall victim of troublesome acts by letting them have violent costumes. Superhero’s and ‘bad guys’ are always a popular topic for costumes but ensure that your children to mask their fake weapons to look like real ones. Also check with your schools if it’s allowed to wear costumes that your children can bring their ‘weapons’. Many schools and indoor type trick-or-treating events are banning masks and weapons to ensure everyone stays safe!
#4- Equip kids with a flash light for when the sun starts to set. Let them take a cell phone in case there is an emergency. Make sure you talk to your children about what is a dangerous or potentially dangerous situation. If your kids go with a group of their friends explain to them how important it is to make sure everyone in their group stays with them. It’s very hard as kids come into teenage years to stick up for their peers when perhaps someone is left behind because they are being slow or whatever a reason may be but that is a perfect way for children to get picked up by a stranger. Please encourage your children to make sure their peers are always okay and around them.
#5- As always, make sure that you inspect your children’s loot they bring home. You never know what you’ll find. If you are in any way doubting if something is safe to eat, toss it out! If your children didn’t collect enough candy and your tossing out the stuff they did, visit your local retailer a few days after Halloween and you’ll get allll the candy your heart can desire for a fraction of the cost! It’s often laughed at about checking candy, but do you really want to find out the hard way that YOUR piece just happened to be laced with something? Yeah, I don’t either!
Enjoy your safe holiday!
