Halloween Happy

The excitement and anticipation about the social behaviors of Halloween had my kids all going different directions about their feelings of the holiday.

Brother was so excited for Halloween to come at school that he got his costume set out and ready by Saturday night. He was so excited to show everyone his Disco Ball costume...

I went to his costume parade at his school and he wasn't too happy to see me there... well, let me rephrase that... he was hyper-aroused when he saw me there at his school, which is not typically where I belong in his world. So, he yelled, "Go away, Mom!! Go home!!"

You would think that would have hurt my feelings and I actually think that there were a few mom's shocked by his behavior and felt sorry for me. I am used to it now though and I know that he doesn't really mean what he says and he is actually happy I come to those things, he just doesn't know how to handle it... so he lashes out. 'Tis a Fragile X thing, se la vi.

On the opposite end of things, I went to Sister's costume parade later on that day and she was ecstatic to see me there. I didn't even get a very good picture of her because the "buddy" she was walking with was dressed as a donut... but, hey, I ain't complainin', I am just glad she had a buddy (smile)

She has her horse costume on, it doesn't seem to bother her that the horse is hanging so that
you can't tell what the heck she is dressed up as... tee hee hee. Guess she didn't want to hold the reins... that's a change.

However, as we were waiting for the parade to start Baby decided to be brave enough to join in with the other kids playing in the gym. I got so much enjoyment watching her "play" with the other kids.

Baby is the one in the piglet outfit... I love that this girl is trying to involve her in their game.

And here she is acting like she owns the place.

Well, by the time Brother got home he was through with Halloween. Trick-or-treating was out of the question, so he got into his regular clothes and resorted to his man cave and watched TV and sang with Shania Twain on his iPod. He has NEVER liked trick or treating. I have always made him go. I don't really know why... I mean, really who cares, he's going to houses and asking for candy he probably won't eat unless it is Sweet Tarts, Smarties or sour somethings. I guess I just wanted him to be as "normal" as possible. This year I decided to accept HIS normal and let him be free of the anxiety Halloween brings him.

Sister was very excited to go because that is what she has learned Halloween is for and she loves to do the social thing, even if it only lasts a moment. We went about 2 blocks and that was plenty. She had enough candy and enough experience.

Baby lasted 3 houses.

How much candy do I really want her to eat anyway?

So because I have come to realize that my children don't LOVE trick-or-treating, I wanted to bring back the good ol' Halloween I remember.

I grew up in a small farm community and we were quite close to many people, especially the older folks. My mom's birthday is on Halloween too and because everyone knew that it made trick-or-treating even more fun. We didn't just go from house to house, ding the doorbell, grab candy and run, our Halloween was a tad different. Houses were not very close together so my mom would drive us to each house and she would come with us. Some people would have a special treat awaiting my mom for her birthday and others would invite us in for special treats like caramel apples, donuts or cider. It was so much fun to see the smiles on the widow's faces when us kids and my mom would come in for a bit to show them our costumes, visit and eat treats. Our Halloween trick-or-treating lasted a few hours but, we didn't come home with pillow cases full of candy but hearts and minds full of good memories.

So in honor of the tradition I have tried starting my own tradition that when families we know come to the door we invite them to come in for homemade hot apple cider pumpkin spice cookies, a kid-friendly Halloween movie going in the background and just some good socializing. Sister loves it, and really looks forward to giving the candy to the trick-or-treaters. Marc and I love it because we get to socialize and open up our home to our friends without forcing our kids out of their comfort zones.

It was so much fun and I do hope the tradition grows because it brings the feeling of fall and family. This is how we make our Halloween happy.