Safety for Teens on Halloween
As children, we think of Halloween as a special time and look forward to this holiday with great anticipation. We remember last year's great fun and imagine what we would like to see happen this year. This can be a fun time while parents and children share thoughts and ideas involving their creativity, and can be a time for enjoyable healthy communication between parents and children. They can brainstorm together to come up with good ideas for costumes, how they might carve a pumpkin, and what type of treats they would like to give out to others. This is a holiday that parents need to plan ahead for, but also children and parents need to plan ahead together.
What happens to parent child communication about planning ahead for Halloween as children grow into their adolescent/teen years? As parents, I’m sure you have noticed that your adolescents share less of their lives with you. They have often replaced communicating with you with talking to peers about many of their concerns. This is appropriate for them developmentally, but sometimes teens may try to exclude you from all important decisions, ideas, and activities. As much as they may tell you that you’re old fashioned and don’t understand them, adolescents clearly continue to need parenting.
Teens may be ready to give input about what rules are needed and do some negotiating with their parents about rules and consequences for breaking them. But, they still need you to hold them accountable to the rules and follow through consistently with the consequences in order to retain a sense of balance, and to feel cared for and loved. Since a lack of impulse control can be developmentally appropriate at this age, acting without thinking, Halloween pranks gone awry, trying alcohol (or even drugs), and transportation mix-ups are likely to be the main safety concerns on this special night of the year.
Below, you'll find a list of safety tips that apply to adolescents in general. Following that is a list addressing specific alternative activities for teens known to use drugs and/ alcohol.
HALLOWEEN SAFETY TIPS
for PARENTS and TEENS-
Make plans ahead of time and communicate with each other about the plan.
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Consider offering transportation throughout the evening, to your child and friends.
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Teens can take younger siblings or other young relatives out trick or treating, and invite their friends to come over later.
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Some schools now offer special "safe Halloween" parties.
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Get details about parties at friend’s homes (teens: you can use your parents as an excuse when asking about the party environment, if you wish).
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Make sure that there will be adults present. Parents may ask if they can help out. This provides extra supervision.
Specifically:
- Make sure there will be no alcohol or drugs allowed.
- Find out what the plan is if people are found with drugs and/or alcohol.
- Find out how people who show up under the influence will be handled.
- Find out when the party will begin and end.
- Clarify transportation issues with friends and parents in advance.
- Make sure that parents have the phone number and address of the party.
- Make sure that teens have change or a calling card to make a phone call.
- Make sure that parent and teen agree on the time to be home.
Pick and choose from these tips as they apply to your family. It’s important to consider ways to remain safe, happy and healthy living in our constantly-changing modern world. Enjoy the holiday!
Click here for tips for teens on staying sober on Halloween
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© 1999 Linda Burrough, LMFT
Linda is a licensed Marriage and Family therapist. She has extensive experience with teens and families in the areas of parenting, substance abuse and sobriety issues.
She
can be reached at 408.814.8530, or by e-mail. Just click the mailbox link:
