When “Little Monsters” Grow Up
Pictured above clockwise from bottom left: Disneyland; Legoland; Queen Mary Dark Harbor; Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights. While most of California celebrates Halloween today, October 31, in a make-believe way, truth can be stranger than fiction. Though adorable children we fondly call “little monsters” turn out 99% of the time to become outstanding citizens like the kids shown in the photos undoubtedly will become, parents and adults need to be mindful of the messages we send children at Halloween and throughout the year. Keep Halloween fun, non-threatening and non-scary for children. Beware of going too far to celebrate. One Indiana resident last week placed an effigy of President Barack Obama in his yard and got a visit from the Secret Service. He quickly removed the prop saying the Halloween joke was in poor taste, though free speech proponents say his actions weren’t against the law. Some neighbors were offended and didn’t want their kids to see it.
Here are unsettling stories in the news this week:
- Devil baby? Last month when Ana Feria Santos gave birth to her son, her joy quickly turned to fear when she noticed that he had several abnormalities. She fears he is the devil in disguise. At just four weeks he could stand up and walk; he frequently hides around the house, cackles in an ‘adult’ way for hours on end and has an ‘intimidating’ pair of eyes. Officials who doubt the claims are investigating to make sure there is no child abuse.
- 10 year old who killed Neo-Nazi dad is on trial in Riverside. Now 12, the boy was allegedly quoted saying “the father-son thing had to end.” Nearly two years after a neo-Nazi leader was shot while sleeping on his sofa, his son went on trial for murder.The victim, Jeff Hall, was an out-of-work plumber who was regional leader of the National Socialist Movement. He taught his son how to shoot guns, took him to neo-Nazi rallies, and once took him to the Mexican border to teach him how to protect his country from illegal immigrants.
- A 12-year-old Salinas, California boy allegedly hanged his small dog, a 12-pound terrier-mix, on a door handle to “see it die” in a disturbing case of animal cruelty, police said. The boy was arrested for the felony cruelty to an animal and then taken to Monterey County Juvenile Hall.
- Nadya Suleman, the California single mother of 14 children including octuplets, has been taking Xanax that was prescribed by her doctor to deal with her anxiety. She feels she needs more help and has checked herself in for rehab treatment.
- A judge this week said that convicted sex offenders in Los Angeles won’t be required to place warning signs in their yards during Halloween. They are, however, forbidden from distributing candy to children.
