Schools also have changed their Halloween habits. Gone are the ghosts and monsters. Now children see only pictures of scarecrows and pumpkins. Halloween parties have been changed to "fall festivals."
No Witches or Scary Jack-O'-Lanterns
At Hewitt Elementary, in Waco, Texas, the focus is on a harvest theme instead of scary images.
"This is something that we have done for about three or four years," principal Sarah Holland said. "We decided not to focus on (Halloween) because we want to be sensitive to others' beliefs. We don't want to offend anyone."
Holland said the decision was made by school officials, but some parents had voiced concerns about their children participating in Halloween parties that showcase scary images.
Elementary and middle schools in the Waco Independent School District in Texas also aren't celebrating Halloween because of its frightening focus.
Nuccitelli said some costumes can be problematic for children, especially if they see classmates wearing scary masks.
"Halloween is about getting dressed up and masking your face," he said. "Some children can have problems differentiating between what is real and what is unreal."
Farley, who also is a former president of the American Psychological Association, said children show fear because of exaggerated decorations and outfits seen in movies and neighborhood yards.
"Kids pick up fear secondhand," he said. "It creates a higher level of fear in them. When you add on that fear at Halloween, then there is more than they need."
Farley said most children understand the costumes and props are make-believe. But he hopes children will opt for fun costumes, with an emphasis on dress-up.
"My five- and seven-year-old daughters are going as the witches from 'The Wizard of Oz,'" he said. "They know it's fiction. I think it helps kids to (dress up) as known figures that they know are fictional. It creates a more upbeat Halloween, and it connects them to another part of their life."
Farley said no matter how hard Americans try to change Halloween, the gore will always creep into the holiday.
"Throughout human history, we've had an interest in the dark side," Farley said. "We wonder about it. Most of us live on the light side, so it's only natural we wonder about the other side. And it's OK to have an annual day for the dark side, but I think we need to offer kids a safe peek at that side."
Robbye Rusek, a Waco ISD teacher and mother of five, agreed exposing children to a scary but safe Halloween is not all bad.
"How can anything be bad that let's kids be creative and have fun," she said. "Let them be kids. They don't have much time to do that."
Copyright 2001 Cox News Service
