Halloween and Young Children: Trick or Treat?by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger 26 Sep 2008 05:57 AM The school supplies are long gone at area stores; swiftly replaced by Halloween everything. My preschooler, who is absolutely petrified of anything that howls, hoots or hangs crooked, bursts into tears each and every time we get near the Halloween area at Wal-Mart and Target. (I don't even attempt to visit places like Halloween USA or Halloween Express when my daughter is with me.) This understandable, yet at times inconvenient fact (inconvenient because these days obtaining a tube of toothpaste now requires taking a six aisle detour around the Halloween madness) is not unique in families with young children. Likewise, the fact that my frightened child can go from bawling like a newborn to begging like a puppy the instant she catches sight of the Halloween candy (which is strategically placed on the periphery of the seasonal center just out of earshot of the cacophony of cackling witches and wailing zombies) is also something parents with young children are likely very familiar with. Which is not to say that the spooktacular decorations featuring bloodied limbs and skeletal remains scares the daylight out of every youngster. This is well documented by the masses of toddlers and preschoolers I've seen (and pointed out to my own child) happily embracing ghoulish costumes. Of course, my verbal observations are rarely acknowledged by my daughter given that she can barely hear me over her impassioned sobs and she certainly can't see the children I am referring to through her steady stream of tears. So much for encouraging change. Interestingly, I don't recall that she was this scared of freaky Halloween decorations last year. I distinctly remember taking her into the same aisles at the same stores to look for a costume and we left without a single tear shed. This year the only store featuring Halloween gear that we can visit without a meltdown is Toys R Us, and even then she clings to me like al dente pasta completely uninterested in the myriad of cute, cuddly, glittery, sequined and otherwise tame decorations. On the bright side... my wallet couldn't be happier. How does your youngster react around scary Halloween decorations? Related Articles: "Sesame Street" Helping Parents Teach Kids About Terrorism "Too Young" Grandma Gets Shafted at Toy Store Are you Raising a Mini Fashionista? Hair Raising Dilemma: Who Calls the Shots in Your Family? Has Becoming a Parent Made You a Better Person? Can You Miss Your Kids Too Much? A Mother's View from the Pool-Bikinis on Babies? A Mother's View from the Pool: Why are you Wearing Crocs in the Water? Learn more about Michele Cheplic  Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. Relevantparenting tags User Comments  MammyKat (143) 26 Sep 2008 02:03 PMThe child's mind - always a beautiful mystery. Oldest used to cry when someone sang "Rockaby Baby," we don't know why. For Halloween we like funny costumes like crayons, dogs or silly pirates. Once we did hilarious costume of a princess with clown shoes on. Anyway, the youngest kids get scared over Halloween noises and some of the creepier costumes that are very graphic. They get the shivers over black and white movies on tv - for some reason anything on the tube in B&W they relate to scary movies, so we have trouble getting them to watch even 'Casablanca' or the beginning of the Wizard of Oz! Gotta go. swtuthmommy3 (130) 26 Sep 2008 05:08 PMMy daughter used be scared of fireworks a couple of years ago, now she loves fireworks and the noises they make. I think my daughter has enjoyed Halloween from the time she could barely walk. For almost three years in a row she wanted to be a witch for halloween. She is still scared of the dark though.  Michele Cheplic (37236) 27 Sep 2008 05:00 AMMammyKat, the "Rockabye Baby" story made me laugh. Thanks for sharing. I totally agree about a child's mind being mysterious... it really is so incredible I wish I could dig around in there to figure it all out. Michele Cheplic (37236) 27 Sep 2008 05:03 AMswtuthmommy3 my dd sees a witch and runs in the opposite direction. How hilarious that your dd loves to dress as a witch but is scared of the dark. You must save quite a bit of money on costumes! Community Tags halloween, halloween decorations, kids and Halloween, parents, preschoolers Discuss this article
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