It’s October, and you know what that means… Halloween: Dressing up while soliciting candy and other treats door-to-door. As usual… we must celebrate premeditatedly with caution. This year, there are several concerns everyone, especially parents, have to look out for.

Getting a costume is usually amusing and comical, but you must choose wisely. There have been plenty of complaints about ‘offensive costumes’ specifically regarding teenagers. Wesleyan University is one of the first schools to take action on such. “Wesleyan’s Office of Student Affairs placed posters throughout campus featuring a ‘Halloween Checklist’ to help students determine whether their costume ideas might be offensive,” writes Peter Fricke on website campusreform.org . Basically, the posters list a series of questions students should ask themselves before purchasing their costume. Some offensive costumes that people tend to purchase represent cultures or ethnicities. While racial insensitivity is a major concern, there are several other points you should consider. “Students should consider whether their costumes “trivialize human suffering, oppression, and marginalization such as portraying a person who is homeless, imprisoned, a person with disabilities, or a person with mental illness,” Frick continues. Be wise about your costume choosing and make sure it isn’t going to cause negative reactions.

Another major aspect of Halloween is horror; going to haunted houses, watching scary movies or even telling old ghost stories are all popular. Unfortunately, this is done without regard to people who aren’t thrilled by psychotic clown masks and bloody swords. Police have been spreading the word that young children are being targeted by people wearing Halloween masks looking to terrorize them. While small children are the main target, anyone in general can be approached. It’s ridiculous that many people can’t find the line between “celebrating responsibly and setting out to deliberately scare young and vulnerable people,” Chief Inspector Dave Pate states.

Who doesn’t love receiving buckets of candy? Lamentably not everyone gives you candy. Warnings have been on the news and extensively spread through social media to watch out and look closely at what candy you’ve received before digesting it. Springfield News-Sun announces that “the Jackson Police Department posted a photo of what appears to look like candy with images of dice, superheroes and movie companies, but that is in reality pills that could not only be dangerous, but deadly if a child ingests them.” The harmful disguised pills described above come in various colors and sizes. ‘When in doubt, throw it out.’

Have a happy, safe Halloween… and remember, be careful!