My mom was overprotective before her time, so I never got to run free range with the neighborhood kids, but there was, in general, a lot less hovering. I have been reading accounts all morning of kids who were let out the door with a pillowcase and left to roam the neighborhood with their pack. These are different times for sure, but maybe we can back off just a little bit? Perhaps we can hang back in the shadows and give them a little running room? We live in the era of candy-checking, but at least we can let them eat it after we’ve checked it all for razors. Yes, it’s unhealthy, but it’s Halloween! One night a year of guzzling pixie sticks and consuming hefty amounts of sugar isn’t the end of the world.
Watch a classic 80s horror flick.
Check out Teen Wolf or the original Ghostbusters for the younger audience. Grab a big bowl of popcorn (which goes great with all that chocolate) and settle in for Poltergeist or A Nightmare on Elm Street with the teens. Show them the entire Thriller video and stay up later than you should! Put Monster Mash on repeat and boogie down. They won’t remember that you paid $50 bucks for a Frozen costume but they’ll remember a Halloween filled with good memories like this.
