Dearborn Resident Asks Trick-or-Treaters for Respect

Dear Editor,

Before I turn the lights off and give up on what used to be my favorite holiday, I would like to suggest trick-or-treat guidelines for the consideration of the Dearborn community.

1. You must be a child old enough to say "trick-or-treat," and too young to drive yourself to the store to buy your own candy.

2. You must be in costume.

3. You must be able to walk from your house to all the other houses you visit. If your neighborhood does not have trick-or-treating, or it is not safe to do so, organize a Halloween party at your house, school, place of worship, or community center. Halloween is more than getting candy; it is about spending time with friends and impressing your neighbors with your creative costumes.

4. Do not smash someone else's pumpkin. Do not steal or destroy someone else's Halloween decorations.

5. Parents, if your child is too tired to walk, cannot carry their candy bag, and/or is crying, it is past time to go home.

6. Parents, there is no trick-or-treating for your baby, sick child or yourself. Please walk with your child. Do not drop them off in an unknown neighborhood or follow them in your car; neither is safe.

Following these guidelines will help keep the lights on for trick-or-treating.

Happy Haunting, 

Kathryn Straith-Johnson
Dearborn