This wasn't a conscious decision on our part. It was a choice my son actually made on his own after his first and only Halloween outting a few years back.
despite initially being excited by the idea of free candy and spooky costumes, Kye found trick or treating less worthwhile than he imagined it would be. Largely due to the fact that his first year we had torential rain and on returning home his special Halloween bag had essentially let all the water in and he had a decidedly soggy collections of candy.
Ever since he has perferred to stay home on Halloween and eat the candy we always have here just encase anyone comes knocking, so far; however, no one ever has. I suspect it's because we live in a small village, on a street that is mainly frequently by elderly couples and the parents of the village kids are respectful enough to leave the old foke in peace this time of year.
At any rate we do often have a lot of candy left over, which Kye does get to enjoy.
Despite the fact that my son never wants to go trick or treating, I do still ask.
This is the chat we had a few days ago regarding the matter:
Me: Are you sure you don't want to go trick or treating?
Kye: "yes"
Me: "Okay, why don't you want to go?"
Kye: "because it's cold and I can get sweets at home without having to get cold."
Me: "Yeah, but if you go out you get to see everyone else in their costumes and dress up yourself. Whereas if you stay home you know no one ever knocks on our door."
Kye: "that's why I get all the sweets"
Me: "Yes, but it's exciting to go to people's houses and be surprised by what you get."
Kye: big sigh! "Fine then, you can drive me to granny's and I will see what sweets she's got."
He's so cheeky, especially as his grannie lives an hour away.
Anyway you can see Kye's thought process. Why go out in the cold and work for my sweets when I can get them at home without any effort?
The thing is though I am actually kinda relieved by this and here's why.
All year long we tell our kids don't talk to strangers and don't take sweet from strangers, but come Halloween all the rules change. Suddenly we are happily encouraging them to go up to every door in the neighbourhood, to talk to people they don't know and to take candy from strangers.
Now Kye has issues with the whole, don't talk to strangers thing as it is. He loves people and I know if put to the test on his stranger danger knowledge he would fail miserably. Because not only would he talk and accept sweets, but he would quite happily get in a car or go off with a stranger too. This is impart due to how Kye thinks or doesn't think, because when it comes to choices Kye just goes for it, no thinking needed, he'll pick what he believes to be the funniest, most gratifying or easiest option, every time.
This is to do with his learning difficulties, but still how sure can you be that your kid wouldn't do the same and this is the problem, most of us think our kids won't, that they are smart enough to remember everything we have taught them.
Sadly, when put in an actual situation like that most fail. As this video shows.
What about if they were trick or treating and they were told to come in to get their candy? Would they be smart enough to say no?
Now how scary is that? I mean imagine if this had not been a social experiment, but a real child predator. It just doesn't bare thinking about.
Yet frequently, Parents will drop their kids off in a street and wait for them to do the rounds of the houses and what if the threat wasn't in a house, but on the street in a car or van? How long would it be before you even knew your kid was missing?
There are also stories of sweets being tampered with in deadly ways. Such as being coated in poisonous substances. Thankfully the poisonous substance thing seems to be more fiction than fact, so far, but as most of us know, fiction has a way of becoming fact. It just takes one sick twisted mind to think it might be fun to try, for our kids to be put at risk.
In fact the only actual case I could find of someone handing out candy that had been poisoned was a father who contaminated his own children's candy with Cyanide. The result of this was the death of his son. He did this in order to claim on the life insurance policy he had taken out against his kids, but in the process of trying to make his story seem real he also handed out these sweet to two neighborhood kids. Thankfully they didn't eat the sweets, but what if they had?
Sharp objects hidden in candy is another halloween horror story we frequently here and this one actually has some truth to it. Sharp objects actually have been found hidden in halloween candy, how commen this is, I really have no idea but it does happen.
However you look at it there are real risks at halloween.
Having an axiety disorder I am always very careful when it comes to my son. Especially given his learning disabilities and that fact that he is far to trusting.
So on the one occaission we did go trick or treating, I was very aware of where he was at all times. Please, ensure you do the same with your kids this Halloween.
Stay safe out there and have fun.
So what are your plans this Halloween? Do you have a child like mine, who'd rather stay home? Perhaps you prefer your child to stay home, feeling that it's no longer safe to Trick or treat? It are you a family that fully embrace Halloween. What ever the case, I'd love to hear from you.
Love and hugs
Joss xx
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