Protect Children From Dangerous People On Halloween
"Picture this: A child - 9 years old and outfitted as Cinderella - joyfully knocks on a door and shouts, "Trick or treat!"
On
the other side of that door is a registered high-risk sex offender.
Unless that offender's probation or parole conditions specifically
prohibit him from providing a treat, there's an opportunity for instant
contact." Read the rest of the article here.
For additonal items online regarding sex offenders and Halloween click here.
Protect Children From Automobiles on Halloween
"Children aged 12 and under are more than twice
as likely to suffer death or injury from being hit by a car on Halloween
than on other comparable days in October and November, according to an
analysis by the Automobile Club of Southern California. The Auto Club warns
motorists and pedestrians to be extra careful on that day. An additional
concern is that Halloween falls on the day after Daylight Savings Time
ends. " Read the rest of the article here.
Halloween Drivers Beware By Lauren Fix, The Car Coach®
"On the
evening of October 31, hordes of little goblins, creepy creatures, and
superheroes will take to the streets on a quest for candy and treats.
Although most of them will come home later that evening excited about
the treats they've gathered, the chances of children being hit by a car
are much higher on this night than any other night of the year.
The
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data warns that,
between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Halloween night, about 4000 children ages
five to 14 are injured in pedestrian accidents, whereas on most other
nights of the year the number injured is 1000 or less. Try to avoid
venturing out in your car during this time, but if you have to, beware
of the dangers and be very, very careful.
Drivers on Halloween night need to take special precautions to watch out for young pedestrians:" Continue reading here for specific tips and cautions, (you can also listen to an audio of the article).
Protect Children From Overload and Genuine Fear On Halloween
Adults sometimes don't realize just how frightening Halloween elements can be to children, particularly to young children. Little ones don't understand what the holiday is all about, so shielding them from all but the gentle fun of trick or treating along with an adult, or even simply watching other trick or treaters come to the door through a window and treats being given out is enough to stay within their comfort zone. Even younger school age children can be frightened by Halloween.
When my children were in grade school, we lived across the street from their school, and I easily participated in several parent activities there, thus was a familiar sight to many of the students.
One Halloween I decided to dress up as a witch, and visit the classrooms of a couple of my children.
I'm only a bit shorter than my husband, so it was easy for me to wear his black academic gown (he was a professor in a college at the time) and his a bit too big black dress shoes. I made a witch's hat from some thin black poster board, and dusted my long hair with flour to make it look gray (I wouldn't need the flour now). To complete my look, I bought stage makeup, complete with nose putty, which I'd learned how to use in High School Drama class. With the nose putty I created a long pointy nose, think maybe there was a hump on it too to counteract my own skijump nose configuration. A couple of warts were added, and maybe a scar, dark circles under my eyes, and I blacked out two of my teeth with either a black crayon, or tooth wax from the makeup kit.
Then, across the street to Emerson School I went, to my fifth grade son's class, carrying a big red polished apple. As I walked down the hall, children melted away before me. Teachers requested that I visit other classes too, so impressive was my witchiness. I got immediate awed silence, and then sometimes questions, particularly from the older students--who was I? Really?
The Kindergarten class was very quiet when I entered the room. Later that day, I got a call from the Kindergarten teacher, requesting that I come back tomorrow, as myself, bringing my costume with me, to show them how I dressed up to create the witch look. She said, "They seem to think you were real!"
So, I went back the next day, carrying my accoutriments, and explained how I'd made myself look like a witch, and explained that I was really not a scary witch, but a mom. I'm not sure all were completely convinced.
It's important to explain, beforehand, that some costumes look pretty real, but they are only costumes, and to protect the littlest ones from things that are genuinely scary.
Nana
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