Halloween: Scaring Others Hurts.

         So yesterday was Halloween.  Took the boys trick or treating and they had a blast.  My oldest decided that nothing was going to keep him from going to any house and getting what they were giving.  A few of the houses had some scary stuff going on and he went up.  He may have had his head on a swivel, but up he went.  It was our 6 year old that would stare wide eyed at a house and in no uncertain term inform us that he was not going to that house.  Surprisingly, our 3 year old went to a few scary houses as well.  In all, it was a good night.
         I remember as a kid what trick or treating involved.  Usually, it meant going to my Grandma's house and going around her neighborhood.  Mainly because I grew up in the country and didn't have any neighbors close enough.  Our costumes were less elaborate and usually homemade.  The great thing was, what my mom lacked in ability she made up for with creativity.  I remember the year we went as pirates.  Mom took some pieces of cloth we had lying around and sewed a jar lid ring to the side and placed it on our heads as a bandanna.  thus the jar ring acted as an earring and coupled with our winter boots, torn jeans, and some of her old blouses over our regular clothes, we were quite the pirates. 
         After my Mom passed, things got weird.  Our costume were left up to us to design and make.  this meant our costumes became simpler and less inventive.  Mostly because we waited until we got home from school on Halloween to come up with our costumes. 
         Then there were the years I refer to as my hooligan years.  Those were the years that my friends and I became that group that parents warned their kids about.  The ones that scared the kids hoping they would drop their loot and run so we could get the candy.  Most people frowned on teenagers who trick or treated, we just wanted our share.  I really regret those days.  It is one of those things that I am not particularly proud of.  The most ironic part of it all is, not one kid ever dropped their Candy.  They may have let out a satisfying scream and ran in mid air while spinning in a circle (which, by the way, is even funnier than it sounds), but they never once let go of their candy.  That brings up another pointer for those of you who think that this may be fun to do, never scare a kid that is carrying anything that can be used as a weapon.  This includes, plastic swords, baseball bats, wands, brooms, sticks, or anything that can be swung.  Even though they may break when they hit you, it still stings and the smaller it is the nastier the bruise.  The one thing they won't swing is their candy.  Even if it is in one of those solid plastic pumpkins, they won't use it for defense.  Apparently, the mere thought of losing a single piece of candy is more frightening than that apparition that just jumped out in front of them.  They'll break that sword they just got on your shin, but they won't lose a single piece of candy.
         I guess the moral of all this is to just have fun.  If you want to scare kids, be blatant about it.  Make sure the parents are aware it is going on and be prepared to have a ton of bruises the next day.  Kids can be vicious.
       Until next time, have a great day and don't be afraid to be yourself.