Halloween was always my favorite. Dressing up and going to fun parties, strolling the neighborhood streets and visiting with other parents while our kids trick-or-treated. The cute pictures. The candy. And then… The Great White Pumpkin came to our house overnight and took all the candy away (all but 10 pieces each!), leaving in its place a small toy, like a Littlest Petshop or Star Wars action guy. Until one day, without warning everything changed and my husband and I found ourselves sitting inside alone on Halloween.
It’s not that the costumes and candy and parties totally stopped. It’s just our kids didn’t need us out trick-or-treating with them anymore. Their costumes became more of the make-shift, thrown together type with whatever was found in the costume box- not the kind you plan and take adorable pictures of. And the parties – we used to all go as family, but now they each have their own events with their own friends.
Last year when I realized this is us, I swore I’ld start throwing my own Halloween parties. But life got busy and today is here. Our boys will go out with their friends and I’ll dole out candy to all the cute little neighborhood kids and remember when mine were that small. It feels like it was just yesterday…
To my friends who will be trick-or-treating with your kids tonight: If you are ready to walk home and they still want to go to one last house, go. If they want one more piece of candy, let them. If it’s past bedtime and they haven’t had a bath, no biggie. If they forget to say thank you, you are not a bad mom. If you longingly look at the bigger kids out by themselves and can’t wait for that next stage, I get it. I did too.
Truth be told, as crazy as it may sound, I love this stage of life with teenagers. I love the conversations we have. I love seeing who they becoming. And I wouldn’t wish to go back in time… except for today. Today, I miss my little people.
In thinking back about my babies, I realize I feel alot like my daughter does being away at college. She loves where she is – the place, the new people, the new experiences, but she misses home and all it entails – the people, the places, the past. But one is not mutually exclusive of the other. You can love where you are and still long for what was.
That is me. Today I miss my little people. Tomorrow I’ll be glad I don’t have cranky, tired, sugar-high kids!
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