There, I said it! I am not one of those moms who obsesses for months over the perfect costume. I don’t look forward to going out trick or treating with my kids. It is not that I don’t enjoy being with my kids, it is just that there is so much I would rather be doing with them. In fact, it is their happiness that keeps me doing it. It is nothing religious or anything like that. As a kid it was fun, but it was not over the top fun. When we were done trick or treating, I was glad it was over and actually liked answering the door for the kids and handing out candy better.
The weather in upstate New York is so unpredictable. I can remember so many Halloweens where my kids had to go trick or treating in winter coats. You could not even see their costumes. It would be raw and bitter cold and you would go to as many houses as you could before your ears froze off. Of course our neighbors are few and far between as we live in a rural area so that means driving and with little kids that means buckling them in and out of car seats every 2 minutes. Car seats with costumes is not fun, car seats with costumes and winter coats is excruciatingly not fun.
On the years when the weather is nice, it is tolerable once we arrive at a quaint neighborhood in town. There we can park and walk from house to house. We meet up with friends and it is enjoyable, for a while.
Once the chill creeps in and the kids start comparing who got what and bickering over the fact, that one got a Snickers and one got a Kit Kat at the last house. Soon after that I will make the announcement that we are going to the last 2 houses and calling it a night. Sometime they moan that they want to do more even though their buckets are overflowing with candy and sometimes they are just as glad to be done. As soon as we get to the car, you can see their exhaustion and they are happy to be headed home.
The worst part is when Halloween falls on a weekday. Of course, this year, it is not only on a weekday but that weekday is Monday! It is getting dark earlier, the kids don’t get off the school bus until 4:10 pm. If we are lucky their teachers will not assign the usual mountain of homework. It will still be an immediate rush to get them dressed and in the car to head out to a Trunk or Treat in town and then to that little neighborhood and hit our neighbors who want so much to see the kids and always have special things for them.
After that it will be a rush home, fighting about who got what and why can’t they eat any more candy. Then it will be showers and bedtime. After that, I will be so grateful we survived and we don’t have to think about this for another year! Oh wait, where was dinner? Where does dinner fit in here? See what I mean? It is crazy! Does any parent really enjoy this?
Let me not forget to mention, Halloween comes on the heels of a jam-packed weekend of a Halloween Parade we all marched in down to the youth center where there were games, cider, donuts and more. On Sunday, the last soccer game of the season was on despite the torrential rain and chilly weather. Everyone was drenched, freezing and wanting to get home and warm. We all had to wait until the awards and the party was finished.
So there is my big confession, I don’t like Halloween! There would be no argument from me if it was cancelled. If it cannot be cancelled, I wish we could all agree to celebrate it on the last Saturday of October, so no one needs to juggle all this on a school night.
Oh, one more thing, I am not a huge fan of birthday parties either.
