Halloween exodus: Parents to flee work early
If you’re planning on ducking out of the office early this Friday to race home in time to take your kids trick-or-treating, join the candy-laden club. Some 66 percent of parents surveyed plan to leave work before quitting time this Halloween, according to a survey conducted by Four Points by Sheraton Hotels.
The parental exodus isn’t just because it’s more fun to run around with a pack of little goblins and ghosts than to sit in front of a computer monitor on Friday afternoon. From Clifton, Ill. to Salem, OH., many communities have stipulated hours when trick-or-treating should take place, in an effort to keep kids safe. The candy cut-off time often comes quite early, like 7 p.m.
Rene Buijk of Ingleside, Ill. said last year was a fiasco. She told the Chicago Tribune she left work too late and was forced to abandon her elaborate plan to transform her two-year-old daughter into a fairy. “I was going to color her hair purple and put piggy tails in, but I ran out of time,” Buijk said. This year, Buijk will be prepared. She is taking the whole day off.
Hey, boss, don’t be a Halloween Grinch! Why not just tell everyone to start the weekend a few hours early? It will give working moms and dads a break, and co-workers who don’t have kids will also appreciate having more time to work on their Sarah Palin, Barack Obama or Joe the Plumber get-ups.
Photo by Brandi Tressler
