For kids, Halloween is one of the most awesome days of the year. First, you get to dress up as pretty much anything you want! And second, and probably most important…CANDY!
I remember LOVING Halloween when I was a kid. Mind you, I have a mild (okay major) candy addiction, so I think that was a big part of its appeal. I dressed up as a cabbage patch kid, a devil, a clown and a whole whack of other characters that were cool in the 80’s and 90’s.
Our guys had a tough time choosing their costumes this year. Our oldest REALLY wanted to be an inflatable T-Rex, but I told him there was no way I was spending 70 or 80 dollars on a costume that will likely get ruined on Halloween night. Our youngest wanted to be Dash from The Incredibles, a skeleton, Spongebob Squarepants, Jack Skellington and a werewolf. In the end, they have both decided to be ninjas together. Does anyone else wait until the last minute to get costumes so there’s no time left for them to change their mind?
Once the costume is taken care of, our minds turn to making sure our little ones have a blast on Halloween night, but also stay safe. So, I’ve put together a few things for all of us to keep in mind to make sure everyone has an awesome Halloween!
Costumes – Costumes are so much fun, but they can be tricky. Make sure masks are comfortable and have holes big enough for children to properly see out of. Check the length of the costume to make sure your child won’t be tripping on it. If the costume is dark, think about adding some reflectors, giving them a flashlight or a glow bracelet or necklace so drivers can see them better.
Candy – Kids are always excited to dig right into the candy! But make sure they know that you – the parent – need to check all their treats BEFORE they eat any. I read these stories about people finding razor blades in chocolate bars and it completely blows my mind. Why would anyone want to harm a child? It’s mind-boggling, but it’s real. It does happen. Please make sure your children know to wait for you to quickly check it over before they go crazy.
Trick or Treating – In normal circumstances, we don’t encourage our children to go knocking on stranger’s doors asking for candy. But Halloween is different. Which may give kids the idea that all those rules about strangers are different and don’t apply. Remind your children not to go into stranger’s homes, to always stay with the group, and to only go to houses with lights on. Also, stay on sidewalks and always look both ways before crossing the street.
Happy Halloween to all the kids and to all the parents looking forward to raiding the Halloween bags after they’re in bed!
