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In Trending News – There’s a Petition to Change the Date of Halloween and a Surprising Number of Parents Are Saying, “Where Do I Sign?”

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Is Halloween still Halloween if it’s celebrated on Oct. 27 versus Oct. 31? As surprising as it might seem, a growing group of people are pushing to move the Halloween holiday from its long-held position at the very end of October to the last Saturday of the month. And before you cry foul, the reasons do make some sense.

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The petition — created by the Halloween & Costume Association in 2018 — is called “Join the Saturday Halloween Movement,” and the goal of the organizers is to have it be a full day of celebration rather than “cram it into two rushed evening weekday hours” after school and work.

The petition then offered up a bulleted list of all the safety concerns that come with the holiday being primarily celebrated with trick-or-treating in the dark evening hours. For instance, the association claims that 70 percent of parents don’t accompany kids trick-or-treating and that 82 percent don’t put high-visibility aids on their children’s costumes.

Although it wasn’t directly stated in the official petition, commenters in favor of the movement noted that having it on a weekend is a win for schools, who have to deal with issues surrounding costumes — particularly those with masks and weapons — and for teachers who have to continue to educate especially distracted students

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Parenting Crap – Charges dropped against 10-year-old over playground injury

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A 10-year-old boy was charged with aggravated assault for throwing a ball at a classmate during a dodgeball-like game at school; charges have been dropped, but could be reinstated.

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Prosecutors said that the 10-year-old and several other students were playing a game called Tips, which involves throwing a ball in the air and catching it while jumping off the ground, on April 29. After the game ended, the 10-year-old then allegedly threw the ball at a 9-year-old classmate, “intentionally” and “with force,” according to a press release from the prosecutor’s office.

The younger classmate suffered a concussion and abrasions to the face, and his mother reported the incident to the Canton Township Police Department. The injured boy’s mother told local TV station WXYZ that he has a medical condition that makes head injuries especially dangerous. After an investigation, the 10-year-old was charged with aggravated assault and ordered to appear in court.

However, the charges were dismissed before the first scheduled court hearing, which would have been held on August 1.

“While the charge in this case is certainly sustainable, I have instructed my staff to dismiss this case today,” said prosecuting attorney Kym Worthy in a press release published on Wednesday morning. “It is my earnest hope that both sides will come back to the table to work out a solution that benefits both of these children… I want to make sure that both children are served as we move forward, and hopefully these charges will not have to be revisited.”

The 10-year-old who was charged was suspended from school for a day, his mother told WXYZ, saying she thought the incident would end there. “This is a kid who was playing on the playground with his friends,” Cameishi Lindley told the station. “I’m sorry that her child got hurt. I’d be sorry for any child that got hurt.”

A Facebook fundraiser set up to raise money for the accused child’s potential legal defense raised over $15,000 in donations from more than 500 donors.

“I have no doubt that both families involved love their children and want the best for them,” prosecutor Kym Worthy said. “But I do think that there is a better way to go forward at this time.”

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In Love and Marriage – Are there benefits to getting married young?

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Remember when getting married in your early 20s was the norm? Now it seems like tying the knot young is a social faux pas that everyone is shying away from. First you go to school, then you graduate, establish a career, gain financial security, and then settle down with your SO.

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1. While you’re young you can enjoy the complete life adventure with your closest friend.
2. You and your spouse are not set in your ways quite yet. You can mold and shape each other as time goes on.
3. You learn to compromise as you approach some of life’s biggest decisions hand in hand.
4. When you’re starting your career or in school or moving every couple years, it’s so nice to have a cheerleader all the time.
5. You’re unavoidably poor when you’re young, which helps you learn and gain financial stability together. When you start out with nothing, you learn to be grateful for anything.
6. If you’re looking to start a family, reproductively your body is better equipped to have babies at a younger age.
7. You’re used to making someone else your first priority.
8. You celebrate many events and milestones together that people who marry later in life may not get the opportunity to.
9. You grow up together.

• You let go of selfish habits before you develop them. It’s not always about where you want to go or what you want to see, and you learn to involve another person.
• You learn most everything together, both literally and metaphorically, and can help enhance each other’s education.
• You’ll both have more energy, whether that’s to work together, play together, or to chase after your kids together.
• Making plans for the future (for example, where you are going to live in the next few years, how many children you want, what kind of house you will buy, etc.) is easier because you’ve made the ultimate commitment and so you work as a unit.
• Your ambition and dreams don’t stop just because you’re married. You both get creative on how to achieve your personal and mutual goals.
• Marriage at a young age makes you both more accountable, to each other and to your individual goals.