Archive for month: October, 2020

We have discussed your child going out on Halloween night in other Tips. Tips have included the parent following along walking with the child, and, as your child grows older, staying at a distance. We have also discussed your child going out trick-or-treating with a baby-sitter, brother or sister, or other friend or family member. However, your child will eventually reach the age where this situation changes – when they reach the age of independence.

No one can give us a magic number when a child reaches the age of independence. When Halloween comes around it’s kind of like magic – you will know and s/he will know. What to do, what to do?

Take a deep breathe. The night has come where your son or daughter wants to go out and meet the ghosts and the witches without you tagging along, without the babysitter, or with any adult you have in mind. It is important that your child have at least one friend s/he can go to the different houses with – if several friends are available it is even better. We all remember being told, “There is safety in numbers.” This is true. If your child trick-or-treats alone, although s/he may be perfectly fine there is always the fear your child may be hurt with no one to assist; an unknown stranger may attempt to get your child into a car; some older children may try to bully your child. Although all of these things can happen even if there is a group of children – odds are less likely your child will be bothered.

Set the rules for your child. Open the door. Let him meet up with his friends. Close the door and take a deep breathe. Independence can be a difficult lesson for everyone concerned. However, when your child returns home you will know you have done a great job raising your child! It was a successful evening!

We invite you to visit us at CarvingForKids. We have an October filled with ideas for each day of the week.

Think back to one of our other tips – we suggested you make sure your child enjoys a very nice meal shortly before going out trick-or-treating. This, alone, will help somewhat to calm your child’s appetite when s/he returns from the great event. That does not mean, however, that your child will just hand you the bag of goodies, when returning home. You can be certain your child will want to dig into that bag just like every other child wants to do.

As parents, we know that most candy tastes great. Other than this, however, candy is not a very good choice in food. Dentists will tell you it contributes to tooth decay. We can be assured, by reading the wrapper, each piece of candy is full of calories. It offers very little nutritional value. And, some parents will argue that it causes hyperactivity. So, what to do, what to do, what to do?

We suggest you have a plan, set guidelines – and stick to it. Discuss it with your child before s/he goes out the door. Remind your child of the plan when s/he returns with the goodies bag.

One plan many parents adopt, because it is easy to follow, is to sit with your child before s/he leaves the house, and discuss and agree upon the number of candies your child can have when returning. When your child returns you should first empty the bag, spread out the goodies, and check each item for tampering (if a wrapper is torn or loose or if there is a small pinhole, go no further, dispose of this particular piece of candy).

After you and your child have checked the goodies s/he may choose the number of candies that was decided earlier. If you agreed on five pieces then your child will select that number. If you agreed on ten, whatever the number, your child will select that number of candies. Once selected the bag of candies will be put away.

You can, of course, revise this plan to meet your needs. You might plan for your child to have candy for three days and then the remaining candy is donated to some organization. Or, you might have some gifts your child really wants, such as a book, and you charge your child x pieces of candy in order to buy the book. Whatever you choose make certain you stick to your plan. We ask you to choose CarvingForKids as a place you regularly visit for your Halloween ideas.

If your child has a disability this is not a reason why s/he cannot go to a party, visit a spook house, or go trick or treating. We can put up all kinds of roadblocks, “But my son can only walk with crutches;” or, “My daughter is in a wheelchair and she can’t move around on the pavement very well,” and “My son has autism and he throws tantrums.” If we just look at the disability we can certainly see difficulties. However, working with a less fortunate child often causes us to react and behave in a different way than we might with another child so Halloween should not pose a major problem.

If your child wants to go trick-or-treating then why stand in his/her way? If your child can get along with crutches then let him try walking door to door. If your child is in a wheelchair and can’t get around then push him/her the same as you would for any other event. If your child has autism or some type of behavior problem then let your child attempt to go door to door. We all know that children act and react differently outside the home. Your child needs this experience just like s/he needs all other experiences.

Another thing that is important to remember is that your child’s outfit may cause him/her discomfort. This may be due to the texture, the cloth against the skin, the unfamiliarity with the outfit, and so forth. If that’s the case then try to make changes to the costume so s/he will be comfortable but still have something to wear or to hold.

It’s also important to remember that many sugars and other ingredients cause a special needs child to react differently than other children may. As you always do, just be aware of this when your child starts digging into his/her goodies bag.

No matter what, your special needs child should be allowed to participate, in some way, in this festive evening. While we are on the subject of festive, please stop by CarvingForKids and see some of our other ideas.

Most children, young adults, even older adults enjoy going to a haunted house, walking through, and getting scared at every turn. Halloween is the time of year when the haunted houses make their debut for a few days and invite you in (for a fee, of course) to scare each of you as you’ve never been scared before.

You may give the decision considerable thought before deciding if you want your child to participate in such an activity. And, this is wise. Sometimes very young children might be frightened so badly it can scar him/her for life. We certainly don’t want this. You know your child best. You are the only one who can decide if your child should go; if your child is old enough to understand the events occurring inside the house; or if your child will enjoy what they will see.

If your previously brave child enters the house and immediately becomes upset then you may consider leaving the house. If your child is crying and asking to get out, once you’ve started the tour, then you should take your child out of the house at the nearest exit. Again, you know your child and you need to make that decision.

Of course, dad might get a kick out of his testosterone-filled 14 year-old-son who spends the time driving to the haunted house talking about how nothing scares him and how everything is so fake. He continues on and on until arriving at the house. Dad looks at his son and sees his assured look has changed to reveal a little concern. Should dad laugh, once inside, when the dead monster jumps out of nowhere causing his son to let out a little scream? Hmmm, as we said earlier, you know your child best!

Take a minute right now and visit us at CarvingForKids. We have more ideas to share with you.