Parents - Where "Trick or Treat" and Safety Should Meet

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If away from your home, drive slowly all evening you may never see what creeping thing may suddenly circumnavigate your path.

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Where "Trick or Treat" and Safety Should Meet

Bill Wallmuller

Halloween may be a holiday for children, but for parents, trick-or-treat time can be a little troublesome. Nearly 40 years ago when I was younger, I remember some of my parent's concerns like razor blades in apples or treats from Ex lax made to look like chocolate candy, and avoiding strangers. That was then, this is now.

Concerns about children's well being -- whether they are out in the neighborhood or back at home with bountiful bags of goodies â€“ can cast a spell on the evening's celebration. But not to worry! Following a few safety tips will ensure that Halloween will be a "howling" good time for all. Here's what we can do:

"Un-haunting" Your House and Neighborhood

1. Welcome trick-or-treaters at home by keeping your exterior lights on.

2. Remove objects from your yard that might render a safety threat to visitors.

3. Ask you "Neighborhood Watch" or citizen's group to police the community.

4. Involve students from a nearby college or university to be "goblin's helpers." These pupils can help trick-or-treaters span busy streets and watch out for devilish situations.

5. If away from your home, drive slowly all evening â€“ you may never see what creeping thing may suddenly circumnavigate your path.

6. Report any shady or illegal activity to your regional law enforcement agency or sheriff's department.

Ponder This

The best way parents and children can avoid trick-or-treating troubles entirely is by organizing a Halloween costume party with treats, games, contests, music, scary stories, and much more. Make your Halloween party the place to be! Schools, fire stations, libraries, even malls in many communities organize "haunted houses" and ancillary festivities for families.

Creating Suitable Costumes With Safety In Mind

1. Check that costumes are flame-retardant so the little ones are not in jeopardy near candle lit jack-o-lanterns and alternate fire risks.

2. Keep costumes short to prevent trips, falls, and alternate bumps in the nighttime.

3. Prompt kids to wear comfortable shoes.

4. Try make-up instead of a mask. Masks can be hot and uncomfortable and, more importantly, they can obstruct a child's vision - a hazardous thing when kids are crossing streets and going up and down steps.

5. Make sure kids wear light colored costumes or put reflective tape on their costumes.

Dressed Up And Perilous?

Halloween blood and gore are unperilous stuff for the most part. But sometimes dressing up as a super-hero, a scary monster, or a slimy alien from outer space -- coupled with the excitement of Halloween -- brings out ferocious demeanors. Even fake knives, swords, and guns and other costume accessories can accidentally incapacitate people. If these objects are part of a child's costume, make sure they are made from cardboard or ancillary flexible materials. Better yet, challenge kids to fashion costumes that don't need "weapons" to be scary or funmaking.

Preparing Ghost And Goblins For Their Tricks And Treats

1. Make sure older kids go out with friends they know. Younger children should be accompanied by an adult. If you live in a agricultural area, offer all children a ride in the truck.

2. It is advisable to set a time limit for children to trick-or-treat. Together, sketch out a safe route so you understand where they'll be. Remind them not to take shortcuts through backyards, alleys, or playing fields.

3. Remind children not to enter strange houses or automobiles.

4. Attempt to get kids to trick-or-treat while it is still light out. If it is dark, make sure a couple of people are carrying flashlights that work and are loaded with fresh batteries.

Pranks That Can Be A Little Trickish Without Safety In Mind

Halloween is notorious as a night of pranks -- toilet papering a house or lining mailboxes with shaving cream are not advisable. Try to get a handle on your children's plans before they go out. Make clear to them that while you want them to have a delightful time, some tricks [pranks] could maim innocent children or destroy property.

The Halloween Payoff..Eating The Treats

1. Children need to know not to eat their treats until they get home. One way to keep trick-or-treaters from digging in while they're still out is to provide them a good meal or substantial snack beforehand.

2. Peruse all treats at home in a well-lighted place.

3. What to eat? Only unopened candies and other treats that are in authentic wrappers. Don't forget to inspect fruit and homemade goodies for anything incredulous. By all means, admonish children not to eat everything at once or they'll be feeling pretty "ghostly" themselves.

Two of the author's concerns are personal safety and crime prevention. You can learn more by visiting the Website: http://www.personal-defense-technology.com.

This news arrived on: 10/03/2006

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