A Halloween Like No Other

Yesterday was a strange Halloween at my house. My daughter went out with her friends. They are sixteen, so the trick-or-treating is borderline. They scored some candy and then went back to a girlfriend’s house to watch a movie.

My son will be thirteen next month. He was invited to go trick-or-treating with some of the girls from his 7^th grade class. As he was leaving I thought to ask, “Were you the only boy invited?” He nonchalantly answered, “Yeah.” His group was still young enough to include an adult chaperone, but still, the only boy?

As I handed out pillow cases, reminded them to thank the candy bearers, cross the street carefully, not to enter anyone’s home and trimmed my son’s ghost sheet, I realized I would be having a childless Halloween. It kind of crept up on me and it was a little weird.

Halloween is usually a fun and hectic time at my house. Last year my son wanted to be a pancake and that costume took up quite a bit of my free time. This year he just wanted a white sheet. My daughter made a group costume with her friends and didn’t even need me to drive her to the party supply store. She got her own ride!

It’s nice to see the kids fly on their own, but each year I really do feel older. Believe me, I’m not pining away for more kids. However, they are so adorable on Halloween! Every Halloween I want them to be 3-5 years old again. Well at least I’d get to hand out candy.

I’m the most embarrassing mom when it comes to handing out candy. I have to comment on all the costumes, feign fear and ooh and ah!

My first trick-or-treater of the evening fed my “neglected mommy” for the entire evening.

The doorbell rang for the first time of the night and I was greeted by an adorable toddler in a dinosaur costume. He held out his bag with an enthusiastic TRICK OR TREAT and was very pleased to see that this would yield candy. So much so that he walked right in! Then my dog, secured by the baby gate in the family room, began to bark. This overjoyed the little treater, he shouted “Doggie!” and even with Dad close behind, he still reached my dog before Dad could get there and the two were having a nice time. The little guy was happy, my dog was happy and I was tickled to death. I told my little friend that if he spent this long at everyone’s house, he’d be out very late. He decided to go on his way.

My son came home at 10:30 and my daughter at 11pm. They both had great evenings with their friends and I had a pretty great evening too. Things change, things stay the same, it’s all good and little old mom will be okay.