HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Oh, Halloween.
Do you decorate your home? Are you one of those homes that has a whole graveyard out front? This year, we are the best-decorated house on the block.
Tori and Evynne wanted to decorate. Being the youngest and the oldest, I thought this would be a chance for the girls to connect. I gave them each a budget, and we set off for decorations. They selected items of interest, and we headed home to create a scene. They collaborated on the overall look, and it was great to see them connect this way. As for the decorations, they did a great job, but none of it appeals to me.
Are you a fan of Halloween? I wish I could say I was, but there’s nothing about the day that I like. Kids have a grand idea of what costume they want to walk around in so they can ask for candy at every door. I have felt pressure to figure it all out since I first became a mom.
The first year we took Camryn trick-or-treating, she made it to one house before she freaked out. She wasn't a fan of strangers. The next year, we went to four homes, and she said that was enough candy for her.
It never ceases to amaze me the tradition of having our kids load up on candy right before cold and flu season begins. I’m big on kids' immune systems. Meaning ensuring kids DON’T load up on a bunch of sugar, so they don’t spend the winter fighting every germ that passes. Halloween is like a big slap in the face. May the strong survive.
And costumes…years ago, Camryn told me she wanted to be Bat-Woman for Halloween. It was mid-September when she mentioned this, so we had plenty of time to get a costume organized. I decided I would make something. I bought the fabric, cut out the design, and began to sew it together. A week later, Camryn told me she wanted to be a ballerina instead. I wasn’t going to make her wear the costume I was constructing. When you dress in costume, you need to be confident in your outfit. You want to own it. Forcing my child to be Bat-Woman when her inner ballerina was screaming to shine wasn’t my idea of a good time. To this day, that Bat-Woman costume remains partly finished in the basement.
This year Evynne had a costume idea in mind. After five stores, we were still empty-handed. On the way home, we made one last stop. Evynne understood it was time for plan B. Whatever we could find would be the new outfit. But it would still be her choice. She was the one wearing it. While the result was nothing like it was imagined, she was happy.
Each year Halloween feels like a challenge in Squid Game. Make it past this level, and you survive to see another year.
I won't be sad to see the end of Halloween once our babies have come and gone. But I guess it becomes about the grandbabies then...
Happy Halloween,
Shannon, the Herdmother
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