Trick or Treating This Year

Last year we spent Halloween at home. It was actually a lot of fun, and we did some unique things that we’ve never done before (such as the Halloween candy hunt which the kids really liked. If we had to do it again, then we would certainly do so again. We were glad to be safe and not have to worry about exposure to the virus. For one year, doing our own thing at home was worth it.

Our kids however really wanted to go trick or treating though. They begged us to let them go even though they understood why we couldn’t go. They still got a ton of candy and ate way more junk than they really needed. They simply wanted to go from house to house and ask for more candy. They wanted to go out with the other kids around the neighborhood and see what everyone else was doing.

It was really hard as a parent to not allow them to do so. We knew we were doing the right thing at the time, but that didn’t mean it was easy. We wanted to go trick or treating with them as well - it’s always fun to see their faces when they get a candy they weren’t expecting. Our son had just turned 3 last year, so it would have been the first time that he really got into trick or treating as well.

Sometimes as a parent, we have to make hard decisions. As much as we love our kids and we want to make them happy, we have to make the decision that is best for everyone. This means that you’ll make your kids upset sometimes, and that you may not always love the decisions yourself as well. Parenting is not always easy - there are often hard decisions that you have to make for you and your family.

For us, that meant that last year we were staying at home no matter what our kids wanted. At the end of the night, they were happy, but there were some rough experiences along the way. We must learn as parents to not listen to every time our child whines or cries for something - if we did then we’d be giving our kids a lot of things that probably aren’t really that good for them anyways.

For trick or treating this year, we’ll be doing a pretty standard thing. We’ll go around our neighborhood with the kids and let them collect way too much candy. They’ll eat way too much of it on Halloween night, and then eat a few pieces of candy over the next several days until it’s all gone. It will feel very normal, and just like we want it to. We won’t be worried about many of the things we were last year.

We may still do a candy hunt (like an easter egg hunt), but just with the candy they get from trick-or-treating. They really don’t need more candy then they’ll be getting from that experience. That was by far their favorite activity last year, and it’s an activity that doesn’t take too much time or effort either. It’s something that will keep them entertained for a few minutes after the craziness of trick or treating.

This year will feel very normal when it comes to going out on Halloween. We’re extremely grateful for that, and can’t wait to head out with the kids.