At the risk of sounding like an old fuddy-duddy dork, it’s time to talk about some (updated)  considerations for keeping your teens safe during Halloween. No, we’re not talking about that stupid fear of razor blades in your Snicker’s bar. Below is a list of some contemporary ways kids and parents can protect themselves during Halloween.

1. Watch Your Drink

I know your teen doesn’t drink at parties, but it’s not a bad idea to give them a heads up to keep their drinks with them if they are at a larger party (not a bad idea to give a heads up to your Freshman either). If their drink tastes funky or it looks cloudy or if some weirdo was hanging out a wee-bit too close to it, encourage them to dump it and get a new one.

2. Pair Up

Whether they are going to a party, trick-or-treating, or just hanging out, make sure they are with specific people they know and trust. We don’t expect them to really understand how some wackos can be but it is fair to get numbers of people they will be hanging with in case their phone ‘accidentally’ gets turned off.

3. Where and When

Teens need freedom. Teens need to be able to hang out with friends without lame parents.  But that doesn’t mean we can’t expect them to provide actual info on where they will be and when they will be there (as well as when will they get home). Agree on a time either you will call/text them or they will contact you.

4. Devil’s Night

Ok, I never understood the appeal of trashing my home town or neighbors’ homes but apparently it still is popular. If your youngin is heading out the night before Halloween (Oct 30) make sure they stay away from spots in your town or city where jack-asses tend to tear it up. LA and Detroit are notorious cities where arson and vandalism grip the communities. Way too many people get way too drunk and drive way too many miles on Devil’s Night. Don’t let your son or daughter become a statistic. 

5. Watch Your Posts

Everyone will be posting updates on where they are, where they’re partying and what they’re wearing. We ask parents to just give a reminder to post cautiously so that the wrong people don’t show up to parties or try to catch up with them while walking around town. It’s an easy time for sketchy people to take advantage of kids and Facebook and Instagram can make it way easier for them to be found.

Have fun.