|
Beware of ghosts and goblins this Saturday
Emily Plihal
for Smoky River Express
Like most children, my favourite time when I was Halloween.
My mom would dress us up as Snow White or any other of the Disney princesses with snow suits underneath to keep us warm.
My friends and I would scavenge the community, filling our bags with the “loot” from all the generous households. It was a time to spend time with friends, receive candy for our awesome costumes and meet people from our town and surrounding towns.
Things have changed a lot since my days as a runt travelling the streets, and now we have to be a little more cautious when sending our children trick-or-treating.
Even in our little communities, there are a number of crimes that have been committed lately, and we have to protect the small ones from potential danger.
Gone are the days when you could send your 10-year-old child trick-or-treating by themselves.
I actually think its funny watching parents driving the family van along the street while their children knock on each door.
I am not a parent, but as an aunt I know how fun trick-or-treating can be with the little tykes.
Walk with your kids. Bundle yourself up and take the chance to spend time with your little ones. You don’t know how fortunate you are to have kids, and have the opportunity to take them on their Halloween adventures.
I don’t think we have to worry in the Smoky River Region nearly as much as in the city, but here’s what my mom and dad used to do after we trick-or-treated.
My mom would automatically grab our bags of candy from us when we came home. In past years I could have told you the best places in Girouxville and Falher to visit, but many of those people have left our communities since I was a child.
Mom would carefully examine all of the candy. If there was candy apples (unless they were the store bought kind in plastic containers), she would either cut them up (if she knew where they came from) or put them in the trash.
When I was a little girl there was a large number of cases where the resident was putting razor blades in apples.
She would throw out any candy that wasn’t wrapped, and she would separate the types of candy.
My sister was diabetic, so we weren’t accustomed to eating a lot of candy. Most times we would fill our bellies the first night, then hide the rest of our candy under our beds. The best candy would always be consumed first, but when next year’s Halloween arrived, there was always a huge amount left.
My parents always kept a strict eye on which houses we visited. As a teacher, my dad’s coworkers were always the first people we visited.
In terms of safety, make sure your kids have lots of reflectors on them this time of year. It is very dark and there will be a lot of vehicles on the road, especially because Halloween falls on a Saturday this fall.
Take extra precaution because the adults will be out partying too this year.
An alternative for your children may be the party happening at the Centre Chevaliers on Saturday. Hosted by JCL Accounting, all proceeds are going to FCSS.
Most importantly this Saturday, make sure you have a safe, warm, fun and happy experience with your beautiful babies.
To all who love Halloween as much as I do, Have a Happy Halloween.
< Previous
Home
Next >
|
