Raising Kids Has Changed My Entire Perspective On Halloween

Archie Carpenter. Shutterstock Images.

I used to think Halloween was lame. Very lame. My whole life I never really had the Halloween spirit. From age 13 - 16 I would go trick or treating in my normal clothes. When annoyed homeowners would open their door and ask what I was, I would respond "a pedestrian" before taking their fun sized milk duds, twix, skittles, and other goodies and going on my merry way. 

In college and in my early - mid-twenties it was more about dressing sexy (for both guys and gals). It always seemed to me like there were two crowds that loved Halloween - people that wore less to try to look hotter to the opposite sex and people that just went balls to the wall with an awesome costume. To be honest, I never really got either crowd. The third group would be people that showed up in piss poor costumes they assembled that day or on the way to whatever party or bar they were going to. That was more my speed. I never took any pride in a single Halloween costume I ever wore. Maybe Bill Clinton in 4th grade wearing a suit with my alto sax strapped around me was the most. But even then, the Clinton mask was on the top of my head with my real face showing within about 20 minutes.

Being in relationships through most Halloweens did kind of temper my excitement as the possibility of hooking up with a new gal on Halloween was never really in the cards. It stayed the same way as a married guy, until I had kids. Yesterday I went to my kids daycare where there was a Halloween parade. My wife wanted to make sure I didn't miss a minute of it, and she was right. It was adorable. Tons of little kids just trotting out in adorable little costumes. There was a little Buzz Lightyear who was crying his head off in a funny way, a shark, a mouse, a T-Rex, and honestly too many funny/cute ones to name. 

But it was such a joy to see the kids, my kids especially getting fully into the Halloween spirit. This year my kids are going as The Count and Elmo from Sesame Street and I am very much looking forward to taking them Trick or Treating on Monday. My son has an obsession with other people's Halloween decorations and likes to go on 'spooky walks' to see them regularly. Maybe it's because ours are just some tin signs that show our neighbors we get it's fall and we support it. But I think he's really just swept up in the wonder of it all and seeing that as a parent is honestly, magical. 

So while I couldn't be less excited in a former life for October 31st, in my current state, it is one of my favorite days of the year. Happy Halloween!