Have you seen the petition to change the date of Halloween to the last Saturday in October? My birthday is the day before Halloween, and I’ve always loved it because there was always something fun going on. In fact, Olive was supposed to be born on October 31st and I was really looking forward to it (scheduled c-section) but she had other plans and arrived early. Halloween will always be October 31st to me! Would you want to change the date of Halloween?

Here are some interesting parenting links from around the web this week!

H E A L T H

This is one dangerous thing to look for when your kid is sleeping via The Bump

The myth of poisoned Halloween candy via Vox

30 Hidden Signs of Anxiety in Children That You Need to Know via Happy You Happy Family

Here’s what happened after California got rid of personal belief exemptions for childhood vaccines via LA Times

13 Facts About Ovaries via Mental Floss

E D U C A T I O N

Lauren Child: Why you should let your children stare into space via Irish Times

Why Are We Still Teaching Reading the Wrong Way? via New York Times

A ‘University’ Model for High School via Edutopia

Why Teachers Choose to Homeschool Their Own Children via Happiness is Here

5 Simple Ways To Encourage Brain Development In Your Little One via NPR

P A R E N T I N G

Trick-or-Treating Isn’t What It Used to Be. Instead of going door-to-door on Halloween night, many parents are taking their kids elsewhere to get candy. via The Atlantic

The Fetishization of Mr. Rogers’s ‘Look for the Helpers’ via The Atlantic

Boy Talk: Breaking Masculine Stereotypes via New York Times

This 70-Year Study of Over 70,000 Kids Reveals How to Raise Happy and Successful Children via Fatherly

How much “scary stuff” can my young kid handle? via Salon

Nature Is the Best Teacher for Life’s Hard Lessons via Outside Online

Why your 3-year-old acts like a ‘threenager’ via Motherly

Why you should give kids toys that look like them via Mashable

The Digital Gap Between Rich and Poor Kids Is Not What We Expected via New York Times