By Michelle Carr Crowe, Silicon Valley guide
Like most children, my mother Judy Carr, loved Halloween. While I enjoyed Halloween as a child, as a parent I just endured it. It had all the elements of a recipe for disaster. Combining an abundance of sugar-rush-inducing candy, the exuberant freedom from inhibitions due to make-believe and costumes and the often opposing ideas of "Halloween fun" too often resulted in hurt feelings, crying children, temper tantrums and a disappointing feeling of receiving a trick when you expected a treat.
Grandma Judy had the usual rules: walk, (don't run); have at least 1 partner; only go to houses you know (or at least ones that are well-lit); don't touch the pumpkins or displays; don't eat any candy you received along the way, and listen to your chaperone.
Before she ever became a legendary Silicon Valley real estate agent, Judy Carr ran her own nursery school and home daycare center. An exceptionally organized person, she had rules for everything. My brother and I often grumbled and joked about always doing things “the Judy Carr way.”
Now that I’m older I better appreciate those rules. In addition to the usual ones above, she had 8 other guidelines for ensuring a safe and happy Halloween for all.
While you can’t prevent every disaster, it’s smart to prepare for rain by bringing along clear plastic ponchos. In doesn't always rain in October in San Jose, but to a child it sure seems to happen too often on Halloween. The other rules are designed to prevent the misery of wet shoes, a torn costume or a hard fall that spooks youngsters and spoils the fun.
Grandma Judy's Tips for Halloween
1) Wear comfortable, closed-toe shoes or boots. Maybe rain boots don't “match” with Ariel's tail (although they work fine with Superman) but they can help keep little ones from getting wet feet and catching cold.
2) Wear a turtleneck and leggings or thermal shirt and long-johns under costumes. Most commercially-made costumes are made of thin polyester or nylon. It's easy for children's body temperature to dramatically drop when they get cold. Even if you realize it right away, it's still a long trek back home with you looking like a ghoul, dragging along an uncooperative or sobbing child.
3) Make glow sticks and snap-together glow tubes part of the fun. We distribute a few glow sticks to each child - a necklace with one glow stick hanging in the back and one in the front at a minimum. The best way to make it fun for children is to incorporate them into the costume's design - such as weaving it around the princess crown, making it into "jewelry" or attaching them to the costume or treat container.
4) Use reflective tape in costume and container design. Reflective tape wound around the pirate sword and pieces cut into the shapes of eyes, ears and mouth for the plastic pumpkin help a child be seen. Even better is to streamline or outline each child – attach reflective tape along the sides of legs and the arms, for example. Don’t forget the back-create a design such as a smiley face, or spell out BOO.
5) Make a stopwatch part of the fun. If the total trick-or-treat time allotted is 1 hour, the leader (adult or teenager in charge), sets it first for 30 minutes, then 20, then 10, then 5, then 3 then 1. That way the group remains mindful of the time while retaining a spirit of play and fun.
6) Plan and print out the map route in advance, and leave it with an adult at home and stick to it-and e-mail it to all of the parents. That way if someone does get hurt or lost, the rescuing parents know right where to go.
7) Bring at least 2 flashlights, 2 cell phones and 2 watches. Someone always ends up with a dead battery at the worst time, so doubling up is a good idea in case someone does get hurt or tired or needs a ride home early.
8) Bring along at least 3 pieces of your OWN candy for each person. That way you can safely snack along the way.
Have a safe & fun Halloween!
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