(NC) As a parent, it can be nerve-wracking when your child gets to an age where they want to start striking out on their own. Halloween can be a challenge, as kids often want to collect candy with friends long before you’re ready for them to do so.
If you’re thinking of letting your little ones head out without you this year, here are some factors to consider before making the final call.
Experience. Does your child walk home from school every day? If so, they are already familiar with the neighbourhood and mastered key skills like crossing the road and navigating streets. Try setting similar boundaries for trick-or-treating with friends and they should be okay without your supervision.
Age. A good metric recommended by parenting experts is to think of yourself at your child’s age — if your parents let you go out on your own at their age and you feel your child is mature and has received training about personal safety, then they should be fine.
Free play. Many psychologists have documented the importance of free play away from adult supervision, which can help them learn compassion, independence, problem solving and how to compromise with others. Trick-or-treating without a parent present can also help them conquer their fears and feel confident when faced with scary situations.
Safety. Despite our worries and the increase in kids dashing across the road on Halloween night, Transport Canada statistics show that there is no rise in traffic accidents involving pedestrians on October 31st. Still, it’s important that they wear bright and light-reflective colours to alert cars. For extra safety, give your child a light-reflective sticker from ADT Canada to make sure they stay visible even when it gets dark and spooky. Find more information at adt.ca.
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