It is Halloween today and I, along with millions of other parents, will patrol the sidewalks as our kids go from house to house. It didn't use to be this way. As a youth, I never recall seeing a parent -- except at the door. The kids owned the night!
So, what changed? Well, a big part of the answer is that many of us heard of the infamous "razor in the apple" story and came to believe the world was a much more dangerous place than it actually is.
The only problem with the "razor" story is that it isn't true. It never occurred. According to a study conducted a few years ago by a professor at California State University, Fresno, 40 years of evidence uncovered only two deaths from tainted Halloween candy -- and none from razor blades.
To put this in some perspective, your kid is more likely to die from your car's air bag tonight (as you are driving him or her to a "sponsored" Halloween party) than from digesting tainted candy.
Alas, few parents are willing to "unlearn" this truth and, as a result, we will deny our children the great sense of freedom we were allowed to feel on Halloween when we were kids. That's the real "boo" this Halloween.
