Does common sense go away after you have a kid?

[emt_amy911]

I mean seriously, I'm driving home, in a pissy mood because I feel crappy, but it's just began to get dark where I am, so all the little spawns are out in their costumes. I nearly hit a group because they are STANDING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET WITH NO FLASHLIGHTS ON OR ANYTHING.....oh, it gets better....THE PARENTS ARE TAKING PICTURES....Uhh...

Comments

[tiger66466]

I just got off the phone with my mom who lives outside of Biloxi, MS and in a neighborhood that has quite a few children. She bought a ton of candy and thought she would run out. Nope - she's got tons left.

She mentioned there was some churches sponsored tailgating thing last night and then parties for kids tonight. She mentioned she thinks parents are opting for that vs door to door trick or treating due to all the "scary stories" of people tampering with candy. Just what you said is going on near you.

I personally do not think candy tampering is on the rise. I remember it being a "big deal" when I was a kid (in the 80's) and usually it was unfounded. Yet we went door to door trick or treating. Ahhh, the good ol' days. lol Like you said - mostly urban legend than anything that ever actually happened. I was telling her that I don't think there is MORE candy tampering now than there ever was (even though most of it was urban legend I think every now and again there was an actual incident) - but any incidents that DO occur you are much likely to hear about thanks to getting news online. I mean, back in the 80's, unless you lived nearby or it made national news, you just never heard of anything bad going on. Now we can hear about EVERYTHING that happens and so it SEEMS like it's worse. That and now people can get out the scare tactics even more so now thanks to the internet. Cautious emails, blog posts, etc. That's my theory at least. That and parents are more helicoptery now than they were as a collective before.

It's now past 10pm and I only got those two trick or treaters (that came at the same time). Guess I'll turn off the outside light and enjoy me some 100 Grand bars! :-)

[elialshadowpine]

The candy tampering thing is mostly an urban legend. It's happened maybe once a decade or something. The Snopes article is actually quite interesting (and long): http://snopes.com/horrors/poison/halloween.asp :)

[tiger66466]

Upon further reflection - I think if anything actually happened at Halloween time it was more of the kids getting injured type of thing rather than any candy tampering incidents. So yeah, there is reason for parents to be cautious about their kids trick or treating - but not for the reasons usually given. And again, I still think that people are more likely to freak out now because it's so much easier to access stories of anything bad happening (even if it is pretty isolated) and thus it makes these things seem more common than they are. Oh, and usually the bad stuff happening would be because the kids were being idiots.

I haven't yet read the snopes article but I wonder if the candy tampering freak out was at its height when the real life Tylenol tampering (and resulting deaths) happened. I could see people making that leap during that time.

[sweetest_asylum]

thanks. i wondered about this.

[legman666]

" She mentioned she thinks parents are opting for that vs door to door trick or treating due to all the "scary stories" of people tampering with candy. Just what you said is going on near you."

that is so LAME. those stories were old in the 80's!!!! crappy parents being even MORE paranoid than they used to be!

[tiger66466]

I know! It's such a retro story. I remember the big "scares" in the 80's when I was just a wee lass trick or treater. And even though nothing ever happened, the next year the freak out would begin again.

I agree that it's a good idea to exercise some caution when taking candy from strangers. (Which is so ironic how it's considered so bad to do on any other day of the year EXCEPT Halloween. And on Halloween not only do children accept candy from strangers but go begging for it. lol) You know - be wary of anything that isn't packaged, etc.

I remember my mom being very "vigilant" after my trick or treating - she would "test" a lot of my candy to make sure it was safe. (While I am serious that she did this I am jesting about her vigilance - in that she just has always been a chocolate FIEND and thus was basically just 'stealing' my candy. lol)

[donnaidh_sidhe]

Wondermark gets it right.