I’m not a big person on the act of being scared. I don’t like the sudden rush of adrenaline or feeling my heart skip a beat. Last year, I did a blog post titled, Enough of The Motion-Activated Shrieking Decorations in Drug Stores and it was well-received. Lots of people responded and about 90% of them agreed with me. This year, my thoughts turn towards the actual trick-or-treating because this year I’ve got two youngsters. (Last year I had one youngster and one baby who couldn’t walk.)
My neighborhood embraces Halloween like most neighborhoods embrace Christmas. We are fanatics about anything inflatable. I love to imagine the conversation that takes place when these items are purchased. I think it goes a little something like this,
“Honey, we should get the inflatable Grim Reaper this year. It’s really cute! It comes in a casket and everything.”
“No, how about the inflatable carriage hearse with glowing skulls. Ten feet of terror, honey!”
You can drive down our street and see huge orange pumpkins, big black cats, spooky ghosts, freaky ghouls and more. It is a feast for the eyes, especially at night.
I am a little bit worried about the actual night of Halloween, because some people answer the door in costume. A few ladies dress up like witches and a few folks have my fave, the shrieking motion-activated thingies, right up next to the front door. My oldest won’t be phased, but my little one might not like it. My heart goes out to timid little tots that try so hard to be brave. If I see a happy face crumple because one of those darn things scare the pants off of him, I’m gonna feel pretty sad about it.
What do you think? Is it possible to prepare a toddler for scary things that are only pretend scary?
