We are on point celebrate Halloween, a party that for my little daughter is the 'best of the year' (where were those children excited about Christmas? 😉); Y for most of the little ones it is a reason for fun. We do not have to remember the Celtic origin of the celebration, nor that with a little ingenuity and good humor, we will not need to buy plastic accessories, dozens of sweets to give away, no costumes that break on the second day.
But what I want to tell you today are a series of tips for not-so-young children to live their particular Halloween safely. If you have daughters and sons over the age of 10, they probably prefer to go their own way., and you will have to settle for the memories of those times when you gathered your friends at home to read horror stories or make homemade baskets so that they could comfortably collect the candies. It's true: depending on the environment in which you live, at those ages they can meet with colleagues and friends, there is nothing wrong with that, yes: always thinking about safety.
Halloween, and the children who already go out alone on the street.
As I mentioned, 10 years may be the 'cut-off age', and you might be thinking, “what? But if my neighborhood is too big and nobody knows anybody! ”Okay, there are cases where you can wait a bit, but what is inevitable is that sooner or later, On Halloween or at local parties, the one who was your baby will no longer want to hold your hand, it is so. But I get to the point: the first thing is to assess the environment in which you live, which implies:
- Be aware of the limitations due to traffic that exist: a lot of traffic, few elements of regulation, etc.
- Realize the urban elements that a priori may be unsafe: poorly lit streets, open fields.
- A neighborhood in which everyone knows each other is not the same as a recently built one in which practically no one lives, other than to return to dinner and sleep.
- Commercial network and food and restaurant establishments: anyone feels more comfortable letting their offspring wander through streets where there is a strong local commerce network, and - consequently - dependents to whom to ask any questions.
- Does your son want to meet in another neighborhood because that is where his friends live?
- Do you know if children are oriented well?
- Etc
They are nothing more than questions to carry out the preliminary assessment.
Let's prepare the ground
At 13 or 14 years old, they will believe that you invade their privacy if you pretend to speak with the mothers or fathers of their companions (they will also think so if you call the tutor to hold a meeting 🙂). But if they are younger, they have to have a minimum coordination with other families so that everyone transmits the same messages regarding: arrival time, places where they can walk, rules to follow (respect other people, do not leave anyone in the group alone, etc.).
Make sure everyone is going to communicate with their children before they go out.
Other tips.
- If one of the group has a mobile, the better; Write down in the contact book the telephone numbers of the Local Police and Health Emergencies, also the numbers of several parents.
- It is convenient that they are equipped with flashlights. Nobody wants them to get into a lot without streetlights, but deep down they know that if they don't take those risks between 10 and 15, they will never take them.
- That they do not get into anyone's house: they knock on the door, they pick up the jelly beans, and something else.
- That they reject the provocations of other groups, or (where appropriate) of the famous "clowns" who are becoming famous by intimidating others. In especially tense situations, they can alert an adult, even call the police.
- A citizen security or emergency service is not called, if it is not justified.
- Teach them to discover spoiled sweets: do they smell bad, have a strange color, do they stick to the packaging ...?
- Do not encourage "empty fear" of others: outside your home not all are monsters. It is better that they learn who to trust, and above all that they reject any request that does not make them feel bad.
Here is an infographic of the National Association for Child Safety, which I think will be useful to you.
And speaking of security: it is true that you hear stories about teenagers who throw eggs at the facades of houses where 'trick or treating' is not accepted, or about various hooligans of varying severity. I hope that these cases are the least, I do not like to think that age is linked to certain inappropriate behaviors. In any case, you can talk to your not so boys (and girls) so that they remember the basic rules of civility and respect for the property of others, also so that you can't go around bothering others, because deep down, it's not fun.
We hope these tips help you.
Images - Thanks Petr, vancouverfilmschool