Halloween is a fun and exciting night of the year for many children, but parents may feel uneasy and anxious about allowing their children to approach unknown homes.
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) has released a few tips to help to help educate parents about what they should be telling their children to keep them safe on Halloween. Listed below are a few recommendations:
- Children should be accompanied by a parent or trusted adult and walked to the door by the parent to receive treats.
- Children should NEVER enter a home without his or her parent’s permission.
- Know the neighborhood in which you plan to trick or treat. Pick houses that you feel comfortable letting your child visit. Do not visit homes that are isolated or poorly lit.
- Be sure children do not approach any vehicle, occupied or not, and make sure they get away quickly if someone gets out of a vehicle and starts to approach them.
- Make sure your child is able to see and move easily in their costume.
- Have your child carry a flashlight so that they can see more easily, and are easily seen.
- In case you become separated make sure your child knows your cell phone number and address. Teach your children how to dial 9-1-1 in an emergency.
- Consider organizing a home or community party as an alternative to “trick-or-treating.
- Teach your child to say “NO!” or “this is not my mother/father” in a loud voice if someone tries to get him or her to go somewhere. Teach your child to kick, scream and resist if someone tries to get him or her to leave.
Remember, your child’s safety is more important than being polite!
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Photo via Flickr, ramyo
