Ordeal by candy.
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Does it seem to you that trick-or-treating on Halloween is something to be endured rather than enjoyed?
Here’s what the village of Oak Park says to parents about trick-or-treating: “Parents are urged to accompany young children, especially after dark, and inspect all treats.”
Other tips from village officials are:
* Give and accept only wrapped and packaged candy
* Stay within your neighborhood and visit only homes you know
* Go out in daylight and carry a flashlight in case of delay
* Choose flame-retardant costumes
* Wear light-colored clothing at night, or add reflective tape to dark-colored costumes
Geez, now I’m afraid to go out on Halloween, maybe even at night, period.
Halloween is supposed to be fun. It used to be, anyway. When I was a kid, we roamed all over town, collected bags of candy. And I never heard of any kid being hurt.
When did we become a nation of fiends bent on harming kids?
I think that change happened in the 1970s with the first media reports of trick-or-treat candy being laced with poison, pins or razor blades.
But were these reports true?
Joel Best, a sociologist at the University of Delaware, for years has studied these claims of children being injured or killed by Halloween candy.
Best has written that he has been unable to find a substantiated report of a child being killed or seriously injured by contaminated Halloween treats.
Best makes good points.
But you know what? If I had young kids out trick-or-treating, I would thoroughly inspect what the kids collected.
Poisonous or razor-bladed candy might be mostly an urban myth – but you don’t take any chances, no matter how remote, with kids’ safety, right?
In Oak Park, official trick-or-treating hours are 3 to 7 p.m. Oct. 31.
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Be careful, sure, but let the kids have fun.
Paul Sassone is a freelance columnist for Pioneer Press.