Photo courtesy of Boss Tweed

In just a few short days streets will be filled with little goblins going door to door in search of treats.  It’s a fun time for parents, but it is also a time to keep your guard up.  Unfortunately, Halloween is a holiday for those who might do harm to our kids.  Parents, be vigilant, and remember the following safety tips:

Use the buddy system.  Older kids shouldn’t roam the neighborhood alone.  Always a good idea to trick or treat in pairs, or better yet, part of a large group.  There is strength in numbers, and it helps to prevent anyone being singled out as a target.

Young children should always be accompanied by an adult.  I’m amazed each year at the number of little ones I see running the steets without a parent in sight.  Be sure to stay with younger kids because there are just too many opportunities for them to get hurt out on a Halloween night.

Carry a cell phone or two-way radio. If you do get split up, a cell phone or radio will make it much easier to reconnect and coordinate a rendezvou point.

Emphasize to your kids that they should never enter a stranger’s house.  Only accept candy at the door, and if the homeowner says, “It’s just in the next room,” tell your kids to move on. This is an old trick of those with bad intentions of luring kids into the house.

Visit only houses where the lights are on.  The universal sign of a house participating in trick or treating is a porch light turned on, and or decorations in the yard.  If you see neither, move on to the next house.

Inspect your kids’ candy supply.  Throw away anything that appears to have been opened or tampered with.  Remove anything that looks unsafe for your kids to eat based on their age group (a hard-stick lollipop for toddlers, etc.).

Photo courtesy of viZZZual.com

It’s one thing to buy your son a beer on his 21st birthday, but quite another to celebrate his being weaned from the pacifier.  That’s what a Wisconsin dad did at a county fair last week.  According to fair workers, the man ordered a beer for himself and one for his boys–ages 2 and 4.  The woman behind the beer tent contacted authorities and told them she hoped it wasn’t a joke. 

Setting an Example

I don’t personally drink beer for a number of reason. First of all, I don’t particularly like the taste.  Secondly, I’m rarely away from my kids, and I don’t like to drink around them.  Third, when I was in high school, our head cheerleader was killed by a habitual drunk driver, and I think the experience gave me a negative view of alcohol in all forms, particularly beer (which is typically abused).

All that to say I am not a beer drinker, but I don’t begrudge others for enjoying a beer now and then.  However, I could never imagine buying a beer for my underage kids. At 14 and 16 it is irresponsible, but at 2 and 4 it is downright dangerous.  There is no way to know how alcohol could damage the development of the 2 year-old.  With older kids, you never know if normalizing the effects of alcohol will make them more succeptible to having drinking problems in the future.