When I was a boy, Halloween meant a pillowcase, a homemade costume and the run of the whole neighborhood until the porch lights went dark. Nobody checked the candy. Nobody carried a flashlight. And somehow most of us made it home fine.
Times have changed, and I am not one to pretend otherwise. Streets are busier. Neighbors do not always know each other the way they used to. Kids are more distracted, and so are drivers. The statistics bear this out: children are more than twice as likely to be struck by a car on Halloween night than on any other night of the year.
That is where we come in. Grandparents are often the ones walking the route, handing out the candy or hosting the whole crew afterward. We have the patience, the experience and, frankly, the good sense that a night like this calls for. Here are nine simple things you can do to make sure the only scares your grandkids get this Halloween are the fun kind.
Before You Leave the House
1. Make them easy to see. Dark costumes look great and disappear completely at dusk. Add reflective tape to the costume, shoes and treat bag, or hand each child a glow stick or small flashlight. A clip-on LED light on the back of a jacket costs a couple of dollars and can be spotted from a block away. This is the single most effective thing on this list.
2. Check the costume for tripping and choking hazards. Hems should clear the ground, shoes should fit and be tied, and any prop swords or wands should be soft and flexible. Skip the mask if you can. Masks slide, block side vision and make it hard to see a curb or a car. Face paint does the job and lets kids see where they are going. Look for costumes labeled flame-resistant, and keep everyone well away from jack-o-lanterns with real candles.
3. Agree on the plan before the first doorbell. Decide the route, the time you will be home and what to do if anyone gets separated. Older kids going out with friends should carry a phone with your number saved, stick to familiar neighborhoods and check in at a set time. Younger grandkids stay with an adult, period. Write your phone number on a slip of paper and tuck it in each child's pocket in case a phone dies or gets dropped.
Out on the Route
4. Treat every street like a busy one. Cross only at corners and crosswalks, never between parked cars. Walk on the sidewalk, and where there is no sidewalk, walk facing traffic and stay as far to the edge as you can. Work one side of the street at a time instead of zigzagging back and forth. Kids get excited and dart. Your job is to be the one who slows everything down at every curb.
5. Stick to lit porches and people you know. A dark house is a house that is not participating, so skip it. Never let a child go inside a home or a car for a treat, no matter how friendly the invitation. If you are in an unfamiliar neighborhood, favor homes with clear, well-lit walkways and steer around anything that looks like a shortcut through a yard or an alley.
6. Keep your head up and your hands free. Put the phone away. Carry your own flashlight, and keep the group together in a way that lets you count heads at every stop. If you are driving through neighborhoods that night, slow down well below the limit, turn on your headlights early and expect a child to step out from between cars at any moment, because one will.
Back Home
7. Inspect the haul before anyone digs in. Spread the candy out on the kitchen table under good light. Toss anything unwrapped, torn, homemade from someone you do not know, or that looks tampered with. For the little ones, pull out hard candies, gum and anything small enough to choke on. Make it a ritual. The kids will think it is part of the fun, and you will know exactly what is going into their mouths.
8. Know the allergies. Peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs and wheat hide in a surprising amount of Halloween candy, and fun-size bars often carry different ingredients than the full-size version. If a grandchild has a food allergy, read every label and keep their medication within reach all night. A teal pumpkin on your own porch signals that you are handing out non-food treats, which is a kind thing to do for the kids in your neighborhood who cannot eat candy.
9. Be ready for the unexpected. Halloween falls at the start of storm season in many parts of the country, and a lot of trick-or-treating happens after dark in cold weather. Keep a small kit by the door: flashlight with fresh batteries, a few adhesive bandages, hand warmers and a charged phone or power bank. If the power goes out while the grandkids are at your house, you want the lights on, the phone charged and everyone calm. That is preparedness at its most practical.
One Last Word
None of this is meant to take the fun out of the night. Quite the opposite. The kids who feel safest are the ones who get to enjoy themselves the most, and the grandparents who plan ahead are the ones who get to relax and watch it happen.
So tape up the costumes, charge the flashlights, and go make some memories. Then come home, dump the candy on the table and let the trading begin. That part has not changed since I was a boy, and I hope it never does.
A dependable flashlight, a charged power bank and a few basic supplies by the door make every night safer, not just Halloween. Browse 4Patriots emergency lighting and portable power to round out your kit.