Ok, so I don’t get it. We spend months/Years Teaching our children to not talk to strangers and never accept candy or gifts from them, but yet once a year we allow our children to dress up in costumes and go to a strangers house knock on their door and ask for candy. Granted we the parents should be taking them around. If you are the type of person to let your child trick or treat hey great I’m not here to make an argument we see things thru a different light. but is it me or are we contradicting ourselves. Yes, I did take Katie out last year, we did the mall walk. it was a safe and warm place to let her get some treats, but still candy from a stranger. there are Many places around that you are ableto go instead of going to a stangers home. Am I being over peranoid with my children or is halloween over rated. You hear you should take the candy to a hospital or safe palce where the candy can be checked cause there are creepy people around, but why accept candy from a stranger in the first place? This year the kids and I will not go trick or traeting but instead find something else to do. When they get older we can have a halloween party with the friends to celebrate halloween. When going shopping katie is so terrafied she says “Mommy katie wants to go home”. Daddy bought Katie a nice mermaid costume and pumpkin, Yes, we will still carve pumpkins and set them out but I don’t think I believe in the whole Halloween sceen. At the museum here in town there is going to be a kids carnavel were can do crafts and wear costumes. I think this is where you will find us this year. Just wondering what your views of Halloween were.
“The history of Halloween goes back 2000 years. Many believe that Halloween’s origins are found in the Celtic festival of Samhain. The Celts, who were located in Ireland, the UK and the northern parts of France, celebrated their New Year on the first of November. Samhain was celebrated the night before the New Year.
The New Year, Celts believed, marked summer’s end, harvest time, and the start of dark, cold winter months. Those winter months were associated with death by these people. On October 31, the night before the New Year, the Celts celebrated Samhain. This day, they believed, was when the ghosts of the deceased returned to earth because the boundaries between the living world and the dead world blurred.
When we think of “Trick-Or-Treating”, the origins can probably be found in the English All Souls’ Day parades. During these celebrations, the poor would come out and beg for food from the more wealthy families. When the families gave them pastries called “soul cakes”, they asked for the poor to pray for their relatives that had passed away.”
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October 21st, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Halloween, yes, I growled the other night about the practice of kids begging for candy at peoples doors …with so many weird ppl. out there it doesn’t make sense, BUT…it is something we all enjoyed as kids, so do the museum/family fun night thing & maybe just a couple of your neighbours, let Katie have the fun of it all if she wants to, just one of you be with her at all times, hey, santa is a stranger who gives them candy canes too, let kids be kids while they can, partake in things their peers do, not full out on trick/treat, I agree, but just have fun, enjoy this part of your children’s childhood, try not to be paranoid or they will pick up on that too
They grow up real fast & into the hard knocks of adulthood before we know it.
I am sure everything you wrote was well thought out & isn’t much different than I feel about halloween but, come on, kids have fun, enjoy it while you can
Have fun whatever you decide to do
HUGS Nan r oxoxoxoxoxoxo
October 22nd, 2008 at 11:46 am
Yes, We should let the kids be kids and Have fun, But asking for cany at a strangers door step. There are other ways to Celebrate like doing the mall event or a church event rather then going door to door. I mean you can still carve the pumpkins, have parties all that Jazz. The difference between christmas and halloween is halloween is real where you actually knock on a door of a strangers house. Where Christmas you know where that candy is coming from. ALso isn’t it important to teach a 3 year old not to just go up to any stranger? Middle school age kids ok maybe they know the differnece ( I would Hope ). I know we will have fun no matter what we do. Katie will be the cuttiest Mermaid, we’ll send pics sometime after halloween.
October 23rd, 2008 at 1:10 am
I agree with my grandmother on this. Let the kids enjoy themselves. Stop being so paranoid about who is behind that door. You can live life always wondering. You have to just do things. If shit hits the fan it does. You being a church going women should know that god is with you to protect you at all times. If stuff happens it happened for a reason. Aint that what they teach you all at church?
October 23rd, 2008 at 3:20 pm
Aunt Teeny pointed out to me that at Katie’s age she doesn’t have peer pressure, she just knows kids dress up/have fun, so the museum/church/mall……all the same to her, so just have fun, do what you feel safe with and enjoy it all
Yes, pics of her mermaid costume would be greatly appreciated, did KT help her daddy pick it out or did he surprise her :O
Caution, let her see you have fun, not be nervous, hence pick something you are comfy with & have a blast
She is already afraid of me :(, LOL, that’s enough for one little girl to handle, James, hope you enjoy either answering the door or being out with family, oops, you are working, do you dress up for that?
October 24th, 2008 at 10:03 am
Yes, I do believe that god will protect us from all harm that comes our way, but he also gave us children to protect and care for as well. Its our jobs as parents to do just that.The point is why go door to door when there are safer alternatives like community events. Why Teach a child that it is Not ok to except gifts and candy all year, yet we will allow them to do just that Once a year. I don’t think children should go door to door. If we teach children to not play in the busy streert should we allow them to do just that once a year as well? Yes, katie knows she dresses up and has fun, but she also knows not to accept things from strangers. I agree kids should have fun just not door to door. we are then just contradicting ourselfs. when teaching children about strangers. Its important to make sure our kids know what to do. I’m not nervous or paranoid about the door to door thing its the principal of it all. James let mommy and katie pick out her mermaid costume while he satyed home with LJ. but daddy paid her it.Hopefully daddy will help katie and mommy carve katies pumpkin..