Halloween may be hazardous to kidsStudy indicates that parents underestimate horror’s effectsBy Heather WhippsLiveScienceUpdated: 7:41 p.m. ET Oct. 27, 2005It is the adults who should be afraid this Halloween. Not of ghouls and goblins, but of psychologically scarring their children.In a recent study of 6- and 7-year-olds in the Philadelphia area, Penn State psychologistCindy Dell Clark found that most parents underestimate just how terrifying the holidaycan be for young kids.Halloween has been scaring the heck out of kids of all ages for centuries.Two thousand years ago, Celts living in what is now the United Kingdom celebrated their new year at the end of October. During these days of transition from the end of summer harvest to the beginning of winter, spirits were thought to roam among the living.The modern customs of candy and costume are rooted in medieval England. To avoid being recognized by the visiting spirits, people would dress up in masks whenever theyleft home. Bowls of food were placed outside to keep the ghosts happy. The practiceshave morphed into Halloween as it is known today, with parents encouraging their ownlittle ghosts and goblins to haunt the neighborhood.Unwilling participants?There have been few studies to examine how the holiday affects children. Child psychologists generally caution parents that the fright of some aspects of Halloween can be too much for the very young, and advise adults to keep a close eye on children andremind them of what is real and what is not.According to Clark, who interviewed parents and children after three Halloweens,younger children may be unwilling participants in the whole ritual.The key ingredient in the recipe of Halloween fright is, of course, death."Intriguingly, Halloween is a holiday when adults assist children in behaviors taboo andout of bounds," Clark writes in the anthropological journal Ethos. "It is striking that onHalloween, death-related themes are intended as entertainment for the very childrenwhom adults routinely protect."For most kids, at an age when they're often not included in family funerals or witness tograve illnesses, Oct. 31 is often their first introduction to the subjects.
Leave a Comment