Halloween Safety Tips For Your Adolescent Asthmatic
Updated April 03, 2015.
When your kids are smaller Halloween safety is really under your control- your kids do what you say (at least in theory). As your kids get older they are more likely to be out trick or treating or at a party without your direct supervision. In order to make sure that you do not have a scary Halloween event, consider the following tips when getting ready this year.
For older kids, Halloween is all about getting together with friends and hanging out.
By having a Halloween party at your house you can control the environment and let your adolescent have some freedom while still having some assurance that your child is close by.
Depending on your relationship with your adolescent, they may or may not want to have their friends over for a party. If your child is going to go to a party somewhere else or hit the streets for a night of trick or treating, you need to set some rules and expectations. If you set expectations and consequences ahead of time, they are much more likely to be effective. For example, your adolescent needs to be able to tell their friends no if they end up in a situation that may worsen their asthma. If hay is an asthma trigger for your adolescent, they need to be able to say no when a group of friends show up on a tractor pull and invite them along for the hayride. Similarly, if you are concerned that chemicals in fog may trigger an asthma attack, your adolescent needs to be comfortable staying back when their friends go and ahead and do something your adolescent may want to go and do.
One thing parents can do is the “what would you do if” question. Before your child ends up in a situations where they might potentially trigger their asthma, you could role play with your child to see what they might do. You could directly ask your adolescent “what would you do when you come to a haunted house with fog that you know may trigger your asthma?” When your teen answers you you could role play the not so great friend that might say “oh come on your mom will never know and we will stay for just a minute.”
You can continue to push your adolescent until you are satisfied that they will not allow themselves to get into trouble. Not only will you learn something about your adolescents coping skills, but you will be able to potentially help them with appropriate behaviors.
These sort of behavioral interview techniques allow you to see what specific skills your adolescent has when put in a situation that may effect their asthma. Basically, you just keep pushing your adolescent for more specific information until you are satisfied with how your child is answering.
Here are some more practical Halloween safety tips for you and your adolescent:
When your kids are smaller Halloween safety is really under your control- your kids do what you say (at least in theory). As your kids get older they are more likely to be out trick or treating or at a party without your direct supervision. In order to make sure that you do not have a scary Halloween event, consider the following tips when getting ready this year.
Consider Having A Party At Your House
For older kids, Halloween is all about getting together with friends and hanging out.
By having a Halloween party at your house you can control the environment and let your adolescent have some freedom while still having some assurance that your child is close by.
Independence Means Being Able To Say No
Depending on your relationship with your adolescent, they may or may not want to have their friends over for a party. If your child is going to go to a party somewhere else or hit the streets for a night of trick or treating, you need to set some rules and expectations. If you set expectations and consequences ahead of time, they are much more likely to be effective. For example, your adolescent needs to be able to tell their friends no if they end up in a situation that may worsen their asthma. If hay is an asthma trigger for your adolescent, they need to be able to say no when a group of friends show up on a tractor pull and invite them along for the hayride. Similarly, if you are concerned that chemicals in fog may trigger an asthma attack, your adolescent needs to be comfortable staying back when their friends go and ahead and do something your adolescent may want to go and do.
How To Figure Out If Your Child Can Say No To Their Friends
One thing parents can do is the “what would you do if” question. Before your child ends up in a situations where they might potentially trigger their asthma, you could role play with your child to see what they might do. You could directly ask your adolescent “what would you do when you come to a haunted house with fog that you know may trigger your asthma?” When your teen answers you you could role play the not so great friend that might say “oh come on your mom will never know and we will stay for just a minute.”
You can continue to push your adolescent until you are satisfied that they will not allow themselves to get into trouble. Not only will you learn something about your adolescents coping skills, but you will be able to potentially help them with appropriate behaviors.
These sort of behavioral interview techniques allow you to see what specific skills your adolescent has when put in a situation that may effect their asthma. Basically, you just keep pushing your adolescent for more specific information until you are satisfied with how your child is answering.
More Practical Teen Tips For Halloween
Here are some more practical Halloween safety tips for you and your adolescent:
- Watch your drink. Not just because they have asthma, your adolescent needs to make sure that they always watch their drink at a Halloween party so that someone does not play a trick that could lead to an asthma attack or other problem.
Additionally, it is probably a good time to talk with your adolescent about alcohol. Your adolescent may or may not have experimented with alcohol, a potential trigger for some people. Additionally, you do not want your child drinking and driving or getting behind the wheel of a car of someone who does.
Come up with a plan and consider role playing some of the scenarios outlined above with your child related to drinking or getting behind the wheel of a car with someone who has been drinking. - Costume. Your costume needs to be asthma functional. Masks, makeup, and costumes all have potential as asthma triggers. Take steps to minimize these risks.
- Road safety. Since you will not be there, consider buying your adolescent some cool glow in the dark accessories or help them build their costume with some sort of reflective components.
- Cell phones. If your child does not have a cell phone consider letting them use yours for the evening. This would allow your child to be able to call with any problems as well as enabling you to get a hold of them if you felt like you needed to.
Source...