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| Poisoned? No. Dentally Damaging? Yes. |
I remember every Halloween as a young kid there were a series of ground rules that had to be followed. Only trick or treat doors in lighted areas. Stay with an approved adult. Watch out for overly suspicious activity. Most importantly, no candy until trick or treating was over and we were back in the house. For some reason my parents along with many others believed that there were people out there who sabotaged candy in an attempt to hurt kids. This is an urban legend that according to the above link, doesn’t happen. People like to think that the things they fear are rational and threatening. In a day and age when ghosts and ghouls have been largely dismissed (ghost hunters excepted) it seems people have found a new irrational fear to stress over. This fear fits well into the standard American paradigm of Stranger Danger. Even one of the few days of the year when we throw caution to the wind and interact with people wearing masks, we still make sure to keep in our own groups and follow protective guidelines. I'm terrified that in the future costumes will begin incorporating those ridiculous parent leashes in order to make sure kids don't wander ahead. Here’s what I want to know, did your parents check your candy? How comfortable are you approaching strangers? Do you think its necessary for parents to micromanage their kids on halloween?
I do think its important for parents to be extremely careful watching after children on Halloween just because there are so many more dangers than on a normal night. Not so much as contamintated candy! But they should be watching to make sure their children dont wander off and get lost or get hit by a car. I remember when Scott was telling us in class one day that they used to have to take their candy to malls to get it x-rayed to make sure there wasnt anything in it. HAHA
ReplyDeleteIts funny to think back about my childhood because my parents had the same rule for me. No candy from your pillow case until we check it all first. I always would sneak some candy when my parents weren't looking. I'm glad to hear this was just an urban legend. And the post aboe me is hilarious about the x-rays hahah
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