Get Real Parents, Halloween is NOT About Safety!

[ethans_momma06]

I was watching T.V. yesterday ( I keep making this mistake...I swear I will stop soon), and to my amazement the host was discussing things like 'Safe Streets' and 'Trunk or Treating' activities with her guest. Well the really amazing part was how they started to agree rather loudly how much those activities took away from Halloween, and how...geez.... over protective parents were being for thinking of taking their kids to these things.

I mean...uhhh duh....if you want to have a safe Halloween, just walk with your kid. I love morons, they seem to be everywhere this year.

Personally, and you can call me overprotective all you want, I will be-

Going to a safe controlled area

Where there is sufficient lighting

Milling with adults

Slapping reflective tape on my kid

Only stopping by people I know

walking with him and holding his hand (He's only two so you might want to skip that with your 11 yr. old)

Oh...and searching through my childs candy when we get home

Crazy thought...my mom did all the above steps with me and my family had a blast, the whole community had a blast. I grew up with both sets of memories, trick or treating door to door and trunk or treating. I actually enjoyed trunk or treating more....there was just more social time when I got older. There were fun things like free apple cider (from someone we actually knew), and haunted houses, and just 'chilling with my homies' on the flat top.

Trick or treating was....fun. I remember going to one house in particular when I was young (like 5) and knocking and having the guy jump out and spray us with silly string. His wife sighed and said he did it every year, but we loved it. Other then that though...nothing really special.

I'm not saying you shouldn't take your kid trick or treating (we did with Ethan last year and he had a blast), but don't push safety aside because you don't think that it's important on Halloween. This holiday is known for pedophiles, for acid, hypodermic needles, and razor blades hidden in the candy, and many many other things.

Taking your child to a 'safe place' doesn't have to take the fun or the scare out of it ( what's freaking scary is walking up to some old lady in a lawn chair sitting by her trunk and having some idiot jump out from the dark behind her, or having to dip your hand into a bowl of peeled grapes to dig out your candy). Don't let your own opinions of 'what makes Halloween good' overrun the ultimate truth 'The best Halloween is a safe Halloween'. Just....please, think safety this year. It wont be lame and will be a hellofalot cooler then rushing into the E.R. because you didn't take precautions.

I'm wishing you all a safe and scary Halloween tomarrow! Go out and get your Trick or Treat on!

[meriana]

Oct. 30, 2009 at 12:06 PM

Thank you for taking the time to remind everyone to take precautions and keep their kids safe. A fun holiday that makes fond memories is a SAFE one.

[meNmine]

Oct. 30, 2009 at 12:08 PM

i agree .. but whats trunk or treating?

[tanya777]

Oct. 30, 2009 at 1:45 PM

meNmine-Trunk or treating is usually at a church but it can be anywhere. Its where cars are lined up with their trunks open-usually decorated-and filled with candy. Kids go from trunk to trunk and get candy. Same idea as trick or treating but with trunks and at a safe place.

Thanks for posting this! I agree 100% with you!

[Erica_Smerica]

Oct. 30, 2009 at 5:18 PM

I totally agree!

[canadianmom1974]

Oct. 30, 2009 at 11:35 PM

I agree to a point, I go with my kids, I hold my 3 yo's hand crossing streets, I check the kids candy, we stop by familiar neighborhoods.  What I don't do is replace all the candy they got T&T'ing with "safe" candy I bought and throwing all the "unsafe" T&T'ing candy away.

I grew up in a small town and I T&T'ed by myself (with friends, but no adults) at a young age, I went to every house in town (literally every house, it was that small), I have great memories of Halloween and T&T'ing that I'm hoping my kids will have as well.  Theirs won't be quite the same as we live in a small city now, but I still like to let them have as much independance as possible while ensuring their safety too.  There is a balance to be found between keeping kids safe and smothering them and one that is important to find.

[Pollymom]

Oct. 31, 2009 at 1:17 AM

I love Halloween! I can't wait to take my little ones trick-or-treating. I agree with you all, you can have a safe holiday and it can still be a lot of fun.

 

[aurorabunny]

Oct. 31, 2009 at 4:03 AM

The needles/razor blades in the candy is all just a big old hoax.  There has been only one recorded incident of that ever happening, and the candy given to the child came from a family member.

Sorry, I totally agree with your point here but just had to point that out. ;)

[shannipoo714]

Oct. 31, 2009 at 8:05 AM

Actually we had straight pins stuck in candy bars in my neighborhood when I was in elementary school, and the police tracked down the creep doing it and he was arrested.  But it has happened more than once.  But a safe and fun Halloween is easy if you follow when the OP wrote...great post!

[RunninRagged64]

Oct. 31, 2009 at 8:29 AM

Have you ever read this blog?  http://freerangekids.wordpress.com/

 

 

[caitxrawks]

Oct. 31, 2009 at 10:41 AM

I really really really miss the way Halloween was when I was a kid in the 90's. I guarantee you the older parents were bitching about how "overprotective" parents were then as well. I don't remember my mom being overprotective at all though! If she went through my candy, I never ever ever knew it. I know for a fact that she didn't even touch it a few years because I ToT-ed with friends and spent the night with them. My mom would take me and my friends in her van and we'd drive to a neighborhood, then she'd follow behind us in the van LOL! She'd watch us go to the door, get our candy, then we'd move on to the next house. No big deal.

I sincerely hope that I don't turn into an overprotective helicopter mom when my daughter is older >: / There's such a difference between being CAUTIOUS and AFRAID. Gah!