I challenge you to approach this occasion and others ... as an opportunity to just celebrate with your family.
Have you ever watched the show “Are you Afraid of the Dark?” or read one of their books? It’s one of those shows that you only enjoy if you like a bit of spookiness in your life. The series was about a group of kids coming together to tell scary stories around a campfire. And this time of year always makes me think of the good times I had on Halloween as a kid. My parents never approached Halloween as a negative or serious occasion. They just saw it as an opportunity for us to dress up and have enjoy time with each other. Afterwards we would count our pieces of candy and then off to bed we went just so we can start our day with chocolate for breakfast. I’ve heard stories from other people that were supposed to be scary or discourage me from having fun, but my parents always made it a point for us to have our own rituals and routines.
As I’ve gotten older, the way I enjoy the holidays has changed. I appreciate watching all the throwback movies way more than dressing up & handing candy out. Last year some kids stole our entire candy bucket, but to be honest that’s on us. I mean, we did have some good candy in there and we all know that good candy is hard to find during Halloween. Even though I’ve shifted some things, I still hear some “scary” stories going around that might discourage you and your family from just having fun this year.
One of the best parts during Halloween is the opportunity to see all the kids dressing up. Let’s face it, most of the costumes are just so parents can show their friends at work and post on social media. Nevertheless, it’s another opportunity to have quality time as a family and not be so consumed by the stories we hear and the ones we might be telling ourselves. Kids still need moments to just be kids and that requires you to be the light even in the dark. If you’re honest with yourself, you might need this time too. We all deserve to “let our hair down” every once in a while and embrace the kid inside of us. I challenge you to approach this occasion and others that will follow in the upcoming months as an opportunity to just celebrate with your family. And as always, lead with love.