A Rational Halloween

As an adult who never really outgrew childhood, Halloween is my favorite holiday. Cool weather, candy, costumes, and no religion (for the most part)… what could be better?

Some parents, however, get anxious around All Hallows’ Eve. Kids running amok, candy from strangers, concealed identities, dark nights, horror movies–along with media hype–can snowball into a bit of Halloween hysteria.

But, what, really are the risks of trick-or-treating?

Most parents fret over tainted candy. As kids, we heard stories about pins, razor blades, or a poisoned apple that a friend of a friend’s cousin got in his candy bag. Some parents even had treats x-rayed before allowing their children to dig in. As it turns out, some of this is urban legend. There has never been a known case of a madman giving out poisoned Halloween candy. The closest such event was the responsibility of a Texas man who killed his son in 1974 for the insurance money. He poisoned some Pixie Stix with cyanide and gave them to his son (who did eat the candy) and some other kids as cover up (who did not eat the candy).

That’s not to say that Halloween isn’t without its dangers, of course. Throughout the years, a very small number of pins and needles have been found in trick-or-treat goodies. Almost all of these cases were pranks and none resulted in serious injury. Statistically, in fact, the main dangers around Halloween are falls and car/pedestrian accidents.

It’s certainly wise to treat Halloween with a modicum of caution. The trick is, not to let your natural concern outweigh the treats. The most important thing to do is exercise a plentiful supply of common sense. Here are some obvious tips (that still sometimes go unheeded):

• Always accompany young children and, if they’re too old to have an uncool parent tag along, be certain they travel in groups that are as large as practical. Be certain they know not to accept rides from, or go inside the homes of, strangers.
• Get your kids to agree to a move along a pre-planned route and stay in the neighborhood. It’s best to know generally where they are and to set a time at which they must return home to prevent unnecessary risk or worry.
• If your children are actually traveling door to door (as opposed to going to a party, for example) make sure their costumes don’t significantly impede freedom of movement. This is especially true of shoes, no matter how much it may ruin the overall impact of the costume. Don’t indirectly contribute to another year of stumble and fall statistics.
• Check to be certain your children’s costumes are flame-retardant and that tell your kids to be aware of porch-bound jack-o-lanterns and sidewalk candle-in-a-bag lamps.
• Be sure the costumes have reflective surfaces and have your kids carry flashlights and glo-sticks. Caution trick-or-treaters to stick to the sidewalks and be very aware of moving vehicles and only cross at designated crossing areas and traffic lights. Nighttime driving can affect the vision of the soberest driver.
• Face paint is always better than a mask, so your child can see clearly when crossing the street. If a mask is a must for your child, be sure it is well ventilated to prevent overwhelming heat or CO2 intake.
• Most importantly, inspect your kids’ loot and check to see if anything appears to have have been tampered with. Individually wrapped, commercially packaged candy with a secure wrapping is best. When in doubt, pitch suspect pieces and substitute leftover handouts from your own supply. Treating your family to a fun Halloween dinner before the holiday festivities will help curb their appetite for candy until you’ve had a chance to look everything over.

Here’s a checklist (PDF) that your kids can read and agree to, making them feel more involved and partially responsible for their own safety. This helps foster a feeling of independence and reduces the likelihood of a rogue reveler.

Add to these precautions from your own experiences and parenting preferences. You may want to follow through on more than these simple suggestions. Remember, however, that this is supposed to be a fun holiday, and don’t lose your head.

A Rational Moms reader recently commented with a link to a press release from BackgroundChecks.com, a company that lets you search for a criminal background of an individual in “over 300 million criminal records”, a database of “national registered sex offenders,” and a “terrorist watch list”–for a Halloween discount of $5 per search. She wondered if this amounted to over-reacting.

The worth of such a service is largely a matter of opinion. Much of this information is available for free, and sometimes in more plentiful and useful presentations. Family Watchdog, for example–the first Google result, at the time of this writing, using the search phrase “sex offender”–makes you aware of all known sex offenders in your area for free, rather than restricting you to search on any one individual for a fee. Backgroundchecks.com claims to offer more, and I leave an evaluation of their services to the reader.

What bothers me are the company’s marketing and press materials. They tie into, and possibly amplify, a parent’s fear of Halloween. The web site claims to “Keep your kids safer this Halloween” with advice that ranges from dubious to fear mongering. Examples include “Has a neighbor offered to drive the kids around in his car this Halloween? Do you know if they have any moving violations?” and “If there is a house on the street that has a ‘No Candy Here’ sign posted, find out why.”

You may or may not want to investigate the criminal records of your neighbors, or everyone that ever comes in contact with your children. (I certainly wouldn’t trust my children to a neighbor I didn’t feel like I knew very well, and I’m not sure if running a yellow light makes a person a pederast or an imminent danger to my child.) But one of the oldest guidelines for a successful Halloween trick-or-treating experience is to avoid visiting homes without their porch light on, inviting ghost and goblins. A “No Candy Here” sign may suggest that a neighbor wants privacy, wants to avoid toilet-paper filled trees, or may simply be out of candy! (My grandmother passed out saltines one year when she ran out of candy. I argue that turning out the lights would invite less ire from the neighborhood kids.) Wouldn’t you rather skip a house than go all the way to the door only to get no reward (or a cracker)? Running a criminal background check on such a ’selfish villain’ seems excessive.

Use common sense and logical safety precautions on Halloween and, ideally, your biggest worry will be how to keep your kids from a sugar binge when you get home.