Halloween

This is one of the holidays that is hard to teach our children the truth about. Growing up I knew it was considered All Witches Eve. Yet most parents chose to ignore that. However, I do believe it is one of the most dark nights of the year. I used to put witches on my church wall when I first started teaching, but not anymore. Sometimes we are so ignorant to the truth that we aren't harmed by it. Yet today with "Harry Potter" teaching our children about wizards and warlocks, it is more important than ever to teach our children.

I do not believe that means we cannot take our children out in costume and let them have a little fun as long as they know that is all it is - fun. Children love to dress up and if adults would admit so, so do they at times. We all put on masks in our lives, whether it is at holiday or hiding grief or pain or whatever.

Some parents feel they must take everything away from the children, but I believe every holiday has some things of which, if we researched, we would not approve. So the question becomes, what is it to you? Do you enjoy dressing your little ones out and letting people enjoy them and getting a little treat - as long it does not turn to greed? In this town, kids go all over town and parents drive them and they hit every house - not just the ones they know. I don't approve of that.

I used to love to take my girls to friends' houses and did do a couple of blocks near me. But later I learned the Nursing Home would have a Halloween time during the daylight and kids could go and play games and the residents got to give them treats. They enjoyed that.

Also our town has employees on the square dress up and they give kids treats all day if they come in dressed in costume and that keeps them off the streets at night.

But one place I do not believe Halloween belongs is in the church. If one wants to give treats to kids - fine, or even have a Harvest Celebration, that is fine.

I remember one church that I attended when my 28-year-old daughter was 3, where we had so much fun having a costume party and that was what we called it. Adults and children dressed up. My daughter won a prize for best costume - she was a princess. She was going to be a bride but her Dad came unglued. He said she would be a bride once. He couldn't handle it so I turned it into a princess costume.

We lived at a resort one year and the children all went to a costume party and played pinata. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a good party. These are memories that have stood out.

So I don't think parents should stop their kids from having any fun, but they should tell them why they don't always use the word Halloween. Life should include fun for the children. It is up to parents to find a way to make them remember the fun and not the black side of everything.