One thing that came to my mind and truly touched my heart while walking with the kids was the "sense of community" that was displayed and has been displayed each year, I can remember it from my childhood. It is the only time of the year when all the kids or most of the kids and their families come out of their houses at the same time for a short period. As you walk along the streets or hand out candy to all the trick-or-treaters it is a time to catch up with other families, a quick hello or a smile and a nod and what about meeting the new neighbors! This is the only time of year something like this takes place!
It is funny that this year I walked and most years I hand out candy so I saw the other side of it this year. I was amazed and truly blessed by the time spent with my community! The time when I would walk with someone for a while and chat and watch the kids and compliment on their costumes or try to figure out who it was or say hello to the one handing out candy and then move on to the next group and walk with them for a minute and catch up or when I met the new neighbor that I didn't even know moved in or the Grandmas and Grandpas that live in the neighborhood who just wanted to hear a child laugh and run and enjoy them even for a split second! It was a moment of belonging to my neighborhood or part of a community and celebrating community with them! I am one those who will not trick-or-treat in other neighborhoods, we go in our own or to Grandma and Papaw's (where my husband grew up) because it is a time to celebrate life and children with my own community!
Now, I have always allowed my children to trick-or-treat, I have never stopped them and they always enjoy it! There have been years where I have been "beat-up" for allowing my family to join in this thing! I never felt Halloween or trick-or-treating was wrong, I loved it when I was a kid and still love it now! Most years I even dress up. There have been a couple years where I actually missed trick-or-treat in my neighborhood, because of other commitments, but my children never have! I am not sure what all the "hoopla" is over why or why not let kids trick-or-treat. You know, I don't really even enjoy the scary part of Halloween or the blood and guts of it, but some do and for them it is ok, I am not going to tell them how wrong they are for doing it because I don't like it or don't understand why they like it!! This Halloween thing is very normal for me and when I was ridiculed for allowing my family to "celebrate" (GASP) it really didn't make sense, all it did do, was hurt my feelings, because to others that don't like it, I was hurting my children. I remember my son actually said to me (5 yrs ago) "I heard Halloween was the devil's Birthday". I had to back him up and explain to him how it wasn't and we were not "bad people" because we enjoy this! Talk about hurt, as a mom, when my child is hurt, I hurt more!That all being said, there is definitely a time and a place for everything, I would have never stood up in the middle of a church that preaches against Halloween and say forget family fun night let's go trick or treating, or I am not going to help with that on Halloween, and I wouldn't put it in front of one of my friends who really doesn't like it, I really just wouldn't talk about it, it isn't nice!
If this post did hurt your feelings, that isn't what it was meant for, it was to enlighten on my type of thinking and I don't believe it is right for all!! If it changed the way you think of me, "GET OVER IT" I am still the same person I have been!!
To sum it up, what is right for me may not be right for you or vise versa, but don't beat up on me because I make a different choice!
