Halloween Safety
We live in a very rural neighborhood, there is absolutely no trick or treating around here. Still, we’ve never really been big on trick or treating anyway and have been quite happy attending our church’s fall festivals. Now we have “Trunk or Treat” each year and that’s a blast.
However, if your children go trick or treating, here’s some important steps to follow to help keep them safe!
* Make sure your child’s costume is designed with safety in mind. It should be flame resistant and short enough to prevent tripping, and shoes should be sturdy and comfortable. Masks should have eye holes large enough to allow the child to see well, and should be properly ventilated. If possible, use make-up instead of a mask.
* Costumes and bags should be light in color or trimmed with reflective tape so that drivers of oncoming cars can see your child.
* Accessories should be soft and flexible. There should be no sharp edges on them.
* Provide a working flashlight for each child. Put fresh batteries in each one before sending them off.
* Carry a cell phone if accompanying your child. If not, give him one to carry with him and make sure he knows how to use it to call home or dial 911.
* Young children should be accompanied by an adult or a child who is old enough and responsible enough to watch over them. All children should be reminded to walk, not run, from house to house, and to look both ways before crossing the street. They should walk on the sidewalk if possible, otherwise they should walk on the left side of the road facing oncoming traffic.
* Children should only go to homes of people that they know. They should never go inside unless accompanied by an adult.
* Advise your children not to pet unfamiliar animals.
* Inspect all candy before your child eats it. Throw out anything that is not individually wrapped or appears to have been tampered with.
* Small children should not eat candy that presents a choking hazard. This includes most hard candy, as well as some bite-sized chewable candies.
* If possible, have dinner before sending the kids out for trick-or-treating. This will make it less likely that they will eat candy before you’ve had a chance to inspect it.
Is Your Teen Lazy This Summer?
Most people enjoy a lazy day when they can sleep in and just relax. But, during summer break it seems that some teens try to spend their entire summer break like it’s one long lazy day. I am having this challenge with my own teenager this year too! Here are some tips to combat teen laziness this summer.
Voice your expectations – Let your teen know what time you expect them to get up each morning and that sleeping in until an indefinite hour is not acceptable. Be sure you also let them know that you expect them to do more than just watch television, play video games, or spend hours on the computer.
We have been footing the bill for quite a few sports and camps this summer, so if your teen is like mine and expects you to help pay for their summer activities, they should definitely have a good attitude about a few summer rules. Set a specific time that you expect them to be home, based upon your level of trust and their age. Allow them to take on a couple of extra chores during the summer (or work for Grandma here and there) to earn some pocket money.
Get them involved – Whether you ask them to help you around the house, volunteer outside of the home, or help them get a job, you want them to be involved in something. Get information (and share it with them) on how they can volunteer to help at a local recreation center, children’s program, or nursing home. They may find they truly enjoy it.
You can often get this information by calling around to local churches, daycares, or nursing homes. Despite the current economy, depending on their age, some local businesses may be hiring summer help; you could always look into this in a little more detail and offer to help them find a job to earn money before school starts again. This will help them learn responsibility with money, but will also help them realize the value of their time. Once they start getting paid by the hour, they might be less likely to waste so much money as they realize the cost to them.
Spend time with them – Avoid giving lectures about what they should do during the summer, take a few minutes to schedule activities onto your calendar that you can do with them. You don’t have to spend every waking moment with them, but simply taking them shopping, to a movie, or out for a latte can be a lot of fun. Summertime is a great time to reconnect with your teen, take advantage of the opportunity. My teen loves to fish, so even taking him to a local lake with a good fishing dock is a lot of fun for him and allows us all to have a great time outdoors.
Encourage activity – This could be a very fun opportunity to learn something new with your teenager! Not only will this help them be less lazy during the summer, it’ll help you be less lazy, too. We love tennis, and there’s also swimming, bicycling, or rollerblading. It’s another great way to connect, but while you get healthier in the process.
Since we’re in the middle of summer break, many parents are just now starting to feel the frustration of a lazy teen. Other parents may have felt it for a while. Either way there are lots of great activities for your teen (and you) to do to stay occupied and have a good attitude. Spending all day everyday in front of a screen (computer, gaming, tv) is unhealthy and often children and teens will come away with a very stinky attitude too, so making sure that they spend plenty of time doing other things is definitely the key!
