Halloween Too Scary for Some Kids, Study Finds
In a recent study of six- and seven-year-olds in the Philadelphia area, Penn State psychologist Cindy Dell Clark found that most parents underestimate just how terrifying the holiday can be for young kids.
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 and out of bounds," Clark writes in the anthropological journal Ethos. "It is striking that on Halloween, death-related themes are intended as entertainment for the very children whom adults routinely protect."
Children interpret the frights of Halloween differently depending on their personal situations, such as the recent death of a relative or pet. An especially harrowing Halloween experience might have long-lasting effects. She recalled an interview with a grown woman who described trick-or-treating at age eight: A well-intentioned neighbor invited the girl inside, only to scare her and a friend with a real coffin displayed in the living room.
"She hasn't enjoyed Halloween since," Clark said.
What...the...fuck?!?! If we keep 'protecting the children' they are going to grow up with absolutely no character what so ever. Shit like this is sad. I hope people aren't buying it, cause it's bull shit. Halloween is fun. Being scared is fun. The holiday never scared me for life. I'm not saying you should force your kid's to go trick-or-treating if they're afraid, but to honestly buy into shit like this...I don't even know what to say. 