Halloween is coming up. I discuss some of the tricks and tips that I use when going trick-or-treating

Halloween is a wonderful time of the year where kids (and adults alike) dress up and go out throughout the neighborhood getting treats.  Being a parent I care about the trick-or-treating habits that my kids learn. I’ve compiled what I do every year for my child.  Trick-or-treating isn’t just going out, hitting some houses and coming home. There is planning to ensure that your child is safe on this day.

Check for sexual predators online

This is the first thing you should do. (In fact, checking several times a year isn’t a bad idea either). You can start by going to Family Watchdog and checking your local law enforcement website. These place have great search engines where you can put your address in and see who lives near you. The websites give you everything you need to know about the person including their picture and address.

Plan the route you are going to take

Now that you know who lives in your neighborhood you can plan your route accordingly. Make sure that an adult or responsible older sibling goes along. Never let your child go out alone.

Make sure the costume is safe

When buying store bought costumes ensure that they are fire proof or retardant. Avoid putting makeup near the eyes as this can run when they sweat and make it hard to see. Eye holes should be large enough to see through allowing for peripheral vision. Nothing should be lower than the ankle, makes it easier to walk and a less chance of tripping.

Ensure you can been seen

Make sure that your child has reflective gear on. Some sneakers have this on them. Wearing the glow sticks or bracelets also helps out. And ALWAYS carry a flashlight and have it on!

Use a sturdy container

Avoid using plastic bags. They have a good chance of ripping if they are poked or too heavy. Pillow cases make great sturdy candy holders. Also bring an extra bag for the parent incase the kids container gets too full or heavy for them to carry.

Teach your child basic safety

Most kids will rolls their eyes at you, but there is nothing wrong with saying this to them again. Kids do get distracted with all the fun and frivolity of the holiday. Remind them never to get into the car of a stranger and to look both ways before crossing the street.

Explain the difference between tricks and vandalism

Kids think that it might be funny to throw eggs at people, but there are consequences that can happen. It’s not funny – it’s wrong.

Manners are still important

Reminding your child to say “thank you” after getting a treat from someone is a good idea too. This can easily be forgotten too.

Set a time your child should be home by

Halloween is an early event in most neighborhoods. Most kids are in their own houses by 9pm due to having to go to school the next day or not to disturb people who want to settle down before going to sleep.

Eat a light meal before treading out

Just like going to the grocery store – don’t go out hungry. The kids already want to eat the candy. Don’t give them another excuse on why they should eat it the moment they get it. A light meal will help them when they are out there. Eating heavy and big meals can make the experience less pleasant for everyone.

One parent should stay home while one goes out

This helps to protect the house from being vandalized and someone can be there to hand out candy to the kids who come to the door. If possible, take shifts, so each parent can enjoy time with their kids.

Be prepared for the weather

Make sure that you have jackets if it’s going to be cold or an umbrella if it’s going to rain. Don’t want to be caught out there without this stuff if something happens.

Stay near your child at all time

It’s dark out there at night even with everyone’s porch lights on. Stay close enough to them so you know where they are. Standing by the road as they head up to a porch that’s 50 feet away isn’t a smart thing.

Always check the candy first

The best thing to do it to take the candy home and spread it across a table. It’s much easier to look at the candy in a brightly light room instead of using a flashlight in the dark. Avoid anything that’s homemade or the wrapper is opens. Inspect wrappers for pin holes or for anything unusual. The best candy bars are the ones where the wrapper is air tight and you can feel the air inside.

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She found the place on one of Yahoo!’s map related websites that gives you information about places around you.  The reviews of it were very high, so what could go wrong?

It was about 12:30 and we headed out the back door of the building.  The address was on the street behind us and the number was 104.  Since our building was 100, we had to be nearly on top of it.  Now, if you’ve ever been to downtown Tampa there will be something obvious about all the buildings – THEY DON’T LIKE TO PUT NUMBERS ON THEM!  Okay, that wasn’t a problem.  We headed up one way and found lots of little businesses – copy places, museum, banks, etc. etc. but no restaurant.  We jumped across the street, figuring it was there and headed back towards the building – still nothing.  Made me wonder where the heck this place was.  We must’ve passed it somewhere.  So, we crossed the street again and began our second lap.  There wasn’t any restaurant in the area.  I suggested that she get her phone out and call them to ask where they were.  There were two problems with this.  First off, she didn’t have the number, but we could call information for it.  Secondly, she didn’t have the phone, so the first problem didn’t even matter.  There was a hotel there, so, if anyone would know, they would inside.  She asked them where it was and they had no idea.  Now I wanted to know where the hell this place was!  So, we did what any normal person would do – we began our third lap around the street!

Now, we were looking for this restaurant…. in Florida…. in the summer, where the temps are in the 80s and the humidity was in the 90s, and we were wearing dress shoes.  So, the comfort level was non existant and the deordorant was starting to wear thin. 

About half way through this lap we decided to head back to work and call them up to see where they are.  I was almost certain that we walked by the place and didn’t even notice it.  By this time, my stomach was making some strange noises that the only thing I could think about was lunch!  NOW WHERE THE F*** IS THIS DAMN PLACE?  THEY BETTER HAS SOME GREAT FOOD THERE!

We got back in the office – nearly an hour after we left for lunch, with moisture in places I dare not discuss.  My friend has to log back into her computer and try to find the website to get the number.  Great, let’s add more time until we get to eat!  She pulled up the page, grabbed the phone and dialed the number.

“The number you have dialed has been disconnected.  If you need assistance please dial the operator.”

WHAT?  You have to be kidding me, we were looking for a place the doesn’t exist!!!

So, now the big question is where should we go to eat?  We were both disgusted with the outcome of the first choice so we decided to walk around downtown and see if anything catches out fancy.  We wanted something different and not go to any of the “old standbys.”  After another 10 minutes of walking nothing jumped out to us then I remembered a place called “The Office” that sound some great hamburgers.  She thought it was a great idea so we headed over there.  There was only one problem with this suggestion – they had gone out of business. 

Looks like we were even – she picked a non-existant place and I picked one that was out of business.

So we headed back to work and kept our eye out for something interesting.  Heck, by this time, we would have been happy with a day-old donut from Krispy Kreme.  So, as we got close to our building we decided to go to the one place we didn’t want to go to in the first place – the hotel restaurant located RIGHT ACROSS FROM THE BUILDING!

So, we spent over AN HOUR of walking aimlessly through downtown Tampa just to go to a place that’s less than 2 minutes from our building!

Since work was paying for this – when we sat down and started looking at our menus I said, “I’m having dessert dammit! Not wasting that much time to go and eat lunch and not having desert!”

So after over an hour of trying to get to lunch, a $30+ bill, and some medicocre food – I was content.

The lesson of this story was that she was not allowed to pick a place to go to eat at!