Halloween is getting a whole lot more interesting around
here as our kids are growing up….their way of handling both this holiday,
themselves and their costumes define who they are in many ways.
This is my definition of Courage.
The Bear under the Dinosaur. He went to Grade 8 like this
today on the city bus and will wear this the whole day without taking it off.
At end of the day we will give him 25 dollars…he took the dare. We had dared Chase
2 yrs. ago (knowing it would NEVER happen) this year Bear said he was short on
cash and was totally excited to do this. Talk about confidence, lack of peer
pressure and guts. The kid is fearless!!!!! I hope he doesn’t get beaten up
today.
This is my definition of Everything about Chase.
This is him being a ghost. Very similar to the boxes he
has worn on his head (or not worn) year after year after year. Since uniforms at
school you can only not wear the uniform if you are wearing a costume. Here come
in the boxes and the sheets.
This is my definition of Autonomy and Independence.
This girl with two Halloween despising parents just gets
it done on her own. She looks like the perfect Geek. Miss Independent and
Creative. She always “has her shit together” for lack of a better expression!
Also a fearless child.
And this is my definition of parents who are great
parents but who just can’t stand Halloween as a holiday.
We tolerated it for
years and years and years and think fun for the kids but now we see it as one
big night off. We are going out to the restaurant tonight as all three kids at
festive friends’ houses (I wonder why???)
To our defense we are normally lovely, caring and devoted
parents. We love holidays and mostly give them our all. We even started hiding
an elf in December like the rest of the world. We love our kids, sacrifice for
them on a daily basis and are probably somewhere above average in the care and
attention and love we give them.
But we suck at Halloween and are proud of it. This morning
we almost let them go to school with no picture and almost slept in and then just
felt too guilty. We are like the show last nigh t”Les Parents” where the parents
run out of the house at 5pm so no kids come to their door for candy. Tonight
will be the second time in our live we don’t give out candy. Last year we put a
bowl on the gallery and went out to dinner. 14 yrs. before that every year we
forced ourselves to open the door and say “Wow look at that witch! Scary”!
All that to say the biggest biggest revelation I have as
a parent this year on Halloween is that kids just get it done. When parents butt out (which for me only
pretty much occurs every oct 31) the kids take over and so what they need to
do. No one reminded them about making plans tonight, none helped them put together
costumes…none rummages through the basements and found old sheets that went through
the laundry machine with bleach and
everything by himself…
Kids get it done even when you think they won’t. When they
see you are not doing it they totally step in and use their own devices. All of
this kicked in last night around 8opm..they got it done without a word of
advice from their lame parents.
I have seen a lot of people around me all grown up with
lots of people saving them left right and center lately. I am glad that
Halloween will teach my kids they can also do it on their own if their parents
are too boring. (talk about some good self talk for guilt eh?)
There
is always a hidden treasure people. Sometimes you just have to dig really hard
for it.
Lessons learned. Halloween is getting WAY more
interesting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bring it ON!
