Halloween has always been a fun time for me.  Going into town to Trick-or-Treat, showing dad our costumes while he was in the tractor, going to Halloween dances when I got older.  It also kicks off the official “birthday season” for the kids in our family, starting in November 1.

It’s easy to get so caught up in your kids’ Halloween excitement.  But you and I know what can happen with kids who get too cranked up and overly scheduled.  Bad news, and even worse when they have a cumbersome costume and too much sugar in their system.  Too many houses, too many parties, too little sleep.  Did I mention potential weather drama like tornado warnings or an ice storm?  Yep, we were watching the radar one year and slipping down sidewalks the next.  But I digress….

Here’s my big message – Don’t let your perfectionism get in the way of having a really fun Halloween!  Even if you have plenty of time and your kids are plenty excited, there’s only so much any of you can take.  Also, don’t feel obliged to do exactly the same thing each year if it seems to be too much of a burden.  How many people really need to see your kids in their costume all in one night anyway?

You know, I say this hoping that more of you out there are relaxed and able to easily tell what your kids need during such a big production.  I’ve had years where we really tried to do way too much for one on night.  Dinner with grandparents, YMCA Halloween party, going up and down streets, seeing people on different sides of town, trying to scrub makeup off a sleepy (and crabby) four year old at 9:30 at night.  Told myself I’d keep it less planned than that in future years.

Right now I’m trying to temper a week with a Halloween party on the 30th, Halloween night in our new neighborhood with a ton of kids to run around with (plus our old neighborhood), and next weekend with a Halloween costume overnight birthday party for ten girls.  Eek – see what I mean?  I’m going to try to channel a good mix of alert motherly supervision and easy going “fun mom”.  Before too long, my kids will probably get too old for all this Halloweening.  Good to keep it enjoyable – for them and for you.

Happy Halloween, parents.  Bring a camera and have a good time!

Comments

This post currently has 2 comments/trackbacks.
You can read the comments or leave your own thoughts.

Trackbacks

From Psych Central's website:
PsychCentral (October 31, 2009)

From Psych Central's website:
It’s Halloween: Recognizing Our Shadow Side | Psych Central (October 30, 2011)

    Last reviewed: 31 Oct 2009