Ha Ha Halloween

Tonight was a first for me.  My kids went trick-or-treating without either my husband or me!  I gotta admit, it felt a little odd.  For MANY years, I was the only parent who took the kids trick-or-treating.  The hubby was almost always working, so the task fell to me.  I spent years hearding multiple children along sidewalks and carrying the candy bucket for our daughter who uses arm crutches.  After a few houses, she'd just skip the ones with lots of porch steps. Then just about 4-5 years ago, as life transitioned, I was able to get a break and stay home and hand out the candy and my husband would take the kids.  I was SO thankful when he'd take them on those FREEEEZING Halloweens.  They'd return home with hands frozen around the bucket handle with my husband carrying the one whose hands were sore from using her crutches. 

But tonight, I only had one trick-or-treater (a skeleton) and his older brother along with the neighbor boy who is his age took our skeleton, the little neighbor girl and a family friend of ours.  I got to stay home and visit with my friend while one of my daughters handed out candy until her ride to a slumber party showed up to whisk her away.  Then my friend and I got to sit outside on such a beautiful night and enjoy all those little Spidermen, Brides of Frankenstein and princesses.  I gave out 10 bags of candy and ran out before the kids did!

BUT...and you knew there had to be a but, didn't you?  What has happened to basic manners?  Not even half of the kids tonight said 'thank you'.  Most didn't even bother to say 'trick-or-treat'!  What's with that?? 

There were a couple of funny spots in the night, though.  At one point, two boys who were at least 14 and not wearing costumes, walked up.  The first one immediately said a catchy rhyme and 'earned' a treat. I have a policy that I do NOT give candy to teens who are not wearing costumes but are carrying pillow cases.  Now the second boy was slightly chunkier than the first and he apparently expected to ride on the rhyming coat tails of his pal.  No go!  He gestured that I should just shovel in some candy and I said he should do a treat.  We went back and forth a few times.  I suggested he could at the very least tell a joke.  At this point, I had to stop the first boy from jumping in to tell a joke and rescue his friend!  Finally, the chunky boy told a joke and I gave him candy.  Liz and I thought perhaps we should've made him do jumping jacks or push ups to earn the treat. 

There were LOTS of adults who carried their own bags and expected candy, one person who asked for candy for 'a sick kid at home' and get this: one boy took his candy without saying thanks and then said, "Can I have one for my grandma?"  It took me by surprise!  His GRANDMA?  That was a new one!  I said, "Your grandma?" and he said, "Yes."  Heck, I gave him another candy bar for even having the guts to ask for extra candy for his grandma with a straight face.

When all the candy was gone, we ate Mexican food and enjoyed good company.  It almost seemed too easy!  Well, for me at least.  Hubby got called out since the employee who is actually on call tonight was taking his little guy trick-or-treating.  I hated to see him go, but I'm thankful for business and I know how hard it is to be the only parent to take the kids out on Halloween, so I didn't want to have to call our employee in.

OH ,and my 16 year old daughter went to a party dressed as Heidi Klum....who is pregnant!  It was a hoot!  Her dad didn't think it was so funny but I reminded him that when she dressed up as a witch or a doctor when she was younger did not destine her to become either of those things.  I did make her remove her belly when she drove!! (Oh, if only I could've done that when actually pregnant!)

All in all, a lovely and relaxing Halloween evening.