Halloween is just around the corner, crazy really as it still feels like we're in the midst of summer in my head. Alas, we're not, and before we know it we'll be really into the festive season. But first, all Hallows Eve. In the UK we really don't celebrate it all that much, sure we have pumpkin picking now which is more and more popular every single year, but compared to the USA and Canada, it's on the smaller side of the celebration scale. There are quiet a lot of traditions that come with Halloween though, with trick or treating being probably the most commonly associated, however for us it's really not something I can ever see me taking our little ones to do. Even though I grew up doing it, I loved it so much, I just feel so differently now I'm a parent myself and so I thought I'd talk about why.
The concept to me now as an adult of walking my children around to peoples houses in return for sweets, is definitely odd. Perhaps because we really don't celebrate it that much over here, but it seems to go against a lot that we teach our children growing up, right? Don't accept sweets from strangers, don't talk to people you don't know, stay safe etc, but then I'm going to either allow them or go with them to do exactly all of the things we grow up trying to discourage them from doing. It's conflicting. I'm not trying to put the fear of god into my boys, or wrap them in cotton wool because I do know that the chances of anything happening are slim to none, but it's still something that I just can't adjust to being comfortable with.
I don't want to be a fun drain, I think Halloween is great and I am all for spooky season. We'll be doing pumpkin picking, Halloween baskets along with all kinds of crafts and baking, but trick or treating just wont be on our list this year, or any going forward. As my boys grow bigger I'm sure they'll go around doing it themselves with their friends whether I like it or not, just as I did with my brothers and sister growing up. I think that's a part of childhood, but personally I don't think it's something my boys at three and five need to be doing just yet, they wouldn't fully understand the concept anyway and logically it doesn't make much sense to me either, so it's a tradition we'll be opting out of for now.
This isn't saying that other parents should follow the same idea I have, nor do I think it's 'wrong' or anything along those lines that at all, it's very much an each to your own. Some people go with their children and they all have an absolute blast, some families are really bred in the tradition of Halloween and it's part of their customs each year, and other families probably have really small villages or neighbourhoods where they know everyone. We just simply don't fit into any of those niches.
I myself had a childhood that was filled with trick or treating, initially my parents would take us just around the 10-15 houses on our street, all dressed up and then as we grew older and into teenagers we'd go ourselves onto our street and the one beyond. I loved it, and used to look forward to it the whole month of October so part of me does feel a bit guilty that my boys wont get to do that. But I do know that we have created our own traditions over the years. Halloween baskets, pumpkin picking, crafting all day and spooky movie Sundays are all now well a part of our Halloween activities, so while we might miss out on the trick or treating, we'll be sure having a good time anyway.
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