For many children, Halloween means a chance to have fun dressing up and collecting candy. But for parents, the night also involves ensuring their children’s safety as they go door-to-door.
But according to Pam Alejandre, spokeswoman for the Eugene Police Department, if parents follow basic protective methods for keeping children safe, there is no reason that Halloween can’t be a fun-filled evening.
Alejandre said the police department emphasizes that children should travel in groups and be accompanied by an adult while trick-or-treating. She also suggested that children wear reflective gear so they can be easily seen by traffic at night. Parents should also attempt to avoid costumes that could impair a child’s vision and hearing, she said.
Alejandre also emphasized that parents should only allow their children to go to houses of people they know to ensure their children’s safety.
Some parents, such as Jodi Ryter, a post-doctoral research associate in the University Institute of Molecular Biology, had already decided to take their children only to familiar places.
“My son is two years old, and we plan to only take him to five houses because we think that is all he could probably handle at his age, but even if he were older I would only let him go to houses of people that we knew,” Ryter said. “The days of my childhood — when we went to everyone’s house in the neighborhood and gathered lots of candy — are over.”
But other parents don’t believe it is always necessary for their children to trick-or-treat only at the houses of people they know, as long as they take other safety precautions.
“I have a little girl, and I plan to go with her to each house,” said Robin Harris, a senior psychology major. “I think it is important for parents of younger children to go to the door with them, and when they’re older, stand on the sidewalk so that the door is visible. I do not see a problem with letting children go to houses of people that we do not personally know, but I would take my child trick-or-treating in a nice neighborhood.”
Alejandre noted that parents also should not allow children to eat their candy until they can come home and inspect it. If wrappers are torn or the candy is homemade, it is a good indicator that children shouldn’t be allowed to eat it, she said.
“As a parent, I would not allow my children to eat the candy until we have gone home to inspect it, and I would always go with my children,” said Lisa Mowry, a junior sociology major.
But for parents who would prefer not to have their children out on the town for Halloween, Harris offered another option.
“I think a great alternative to going trick-or-treating would be to hide candy around the house and have the children find it. It would sort of be like Easter-egg hunting,” Harris said.
Mowry suggested that the community could help keep children safe with organized trick-or-treating possibilities.
“I think a really good idea that could promote safety in the Eugene area is to have a specific neighborhood blocked off to hand out candy each year, and before Halloween, other people could donate money to help these families purchase the candy,” she said. “Each year it could be a different neighborhood, and it would be a safe way for children to have fun.”