Halloween

“I bet living in a nudist colony takes all the fun out of Halloween...                                                                                                                                                            ~ Author Unknown

Halloween – Have FUN, but be safe out there

Halloween is for the young (and the young at heart). Kids of all ages get to dress up and go beg for free candy. What could be better than that (not counting the cavities and elevated blood sugar... just kidding J)? Then there are the Haunted Houses and hayrides, all culminating in trick or treating. You can give your kids some fantastic Halloween memories that they'll have for a lifetime by having them follow some simple safety tips. As a classic, popular TV cop show, Hill Street Blues used to say “be safe out there”.

Most kids already know many of the things you can do to ensure safety, like how to cross the street correctly, looking both ways, and to not talk to or go anywhere with strangers. But with the excitement Halloween brings, be sure to make a point to remind them anyway.


Here are some common sense tips that we have for you to communicate to your kids to help keep them safe on Halloween night. Most actually apply to everyday life also, so they’re important to review:

	Never go into a stranger’s house, (or even knock their door) for treats unless parents are present and give kids the thumbs up. As a rule, make sure that an adult always within sight when you go out trick-or-treating. Check the candy when you get home if you have any suspicions at all.
	Be careful when you cross the street. Make sure to look in both directions, hold hands with your group and help the younger kids get across the street safely. Use cross walks when possible, still obeying all the same rules.
	If you have an older kid or teen, and they are going out with friends, make sure you know where they are going and who they are going with.
	If your son or daughter is old enough to drive and is taking friends to a party, make sure that they have enough gas to get there and back.
	Give your kids (older) a curfew and make sure they adhere to it. It builds trust between you and them as you are doing it for their own safety. Know the parents and even contact them if your kid is going to a party!
	Emphasize to your kids that vandalism is not cool! Throwing eggs at cars and houses is not right. It’s a good way to have get arrested and be punished as a juvenile.
	Hurting animals is never acceptable behavior! For some reason, some kids use Halloween as an excuse to hurt cats and that is just wrong. Not only is it illegal in most places to hurt or torture animals and punishable by law, it needs to be reiterated that you should never hurt a helpless living thing.

Look Better, Feel Better, Live Better

Halloween is fun for most of us, especially the kids and those young at heart. I know feel young at heart and I’m a big fan of Halloween as it energizes me. In addition, it feels like and signals the start of the Holiday Season with Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and New Years Eve soon to follow. Regardless of our feelings toward Halloween in general, safe Halloweens get a unanimous ‘like’.

There is an adult analogy hidden in here, with the dressing up and masks and all on Halloween, one that we may take a small lesson from. The truth is that we all wear masks, every day, as our way of ‘walling up’ to shield our vulnerabilities from the world. To the degree we can limit this masking practice to Halloween only, is the degree to which we learn to accept and present our authentic selves to those we love. As the quote indicates:  

      “There is nothing that gives more assurance than a mask.”                                                                                                                                                          ~ Colette

PS: Let’s gain our self-assurance from a deeper place, shall we...have big fun, but be safe out there!