Purim is a hectic day filled with happiness and fun―keep it joyful by using these 5 Purim safety tips
1. Have a Buddy System
Our kids bounce from shul to shul, to friends’ houses, to the neighbors down the block. They bike to the carnival here, their teacher’s seudah there, and dance with their fundraising friends in rental cars. It is chaos. Have each child pick a buddy. A friend, a sibling, a cousin. Make sure they know to stay together all day long. Having a buddy helps keep a child accountable and responsible―and can help a more adventurous child have a voice of wisdom.
2. Make Sure There is a Designated Driver―and Designated Parent
As we know, not only men drink. Women and mothers get involved in the festivities too with fancy cocktails and festive drinks. Having a sober parent, aunt, grandmother, husband, uncle, friend―or even hiring a babysitter for the day―allows everyone to have fun and sober, alert, watchful eyes to take care of the younger members of the family.
3. Make Sure Everyone Eats a Protein-filled Lunch.
The morning is filled with candy from the mishloach manot bags. The night is filled with hamentaschen, drinks, desserts, and more candy. Make it a point to sit everyone down in the middle of the day and have a hearty meal. You will be happier, your kids will be better behaved, and it will help avoid the inevitable sugar crash/face paint/ripped costume meltdown that will inevitably end your day.
4. Drink Water.
Running in and out of cars dancing and singing can lead to a risk of dehydration. Buying a case of water bottles to keep in the car throughout the day will help keep everyone hydrated―though we cannot apologize enough for the pile of empty and half-filled plastic bottles that will litter the car until pesach cleaning.
5. Don’t Park in the Middle of the Street.
We have all seen it―the car stopped in the middle of the street, kids darting in either direction towards their friends’ houses, narrowly missing other cars driving down the road. Cars are machines. They are dangerous. People are distracted. Just as you would not let your child cross the street him or herself alone during the year, Purim should be no exception. Stop, park, pull in the driveway, and make sure you have safe exits with no blind spots.
Plus check out our tip on how to keep track of your boys on purim.
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