We’re in the final countdown, mere hours away from Halloween and Joseph’s costume isn’t finished yet.
Thankfully, he’s just a ghost.
Still, this mad dash panic to finish a costume made me realize anew how much has changed in the past ten years.
A decade ago, at this point, Halloween parties would be behind me. Over the weekend I would have put on the trashiest costume I dared and paraded through the bars and clubs with either my girlfriends or my ex – who always threw together a last minute, witty and topical costume. I would be looking at pictures and be very thankful there was no way these photos would end up on the internet.
Now, I’m buying candy and dusting off an old pair of wings and wreath for my role as Tinkerbell’s mom.
I’m getting pumpkins to carve, making sure buckets are ready, and trying to find my old plastic cauldron. I’m planning soup for dinner and am sure I’ll be in bed before ten.
How I celebrate this holiday has changed with kids. Now, it’s about them and their studied memorization of “Trick or Treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat.” When my sewing machine is whirring late at night, it’s because I’m sewing a wee ghost costume rather than a Greek goddess toga.
Over the weekend I looked at pictures of friends without kids and their short skirts, wild hair and make-up, and debauchery laden stories. Sure, I felt a twinge of nostalgia. Then I remember my children’s excitement and am glad to be celebrating in a more mild manner.
Especially after seeing the pained morning after posts.
Have your celebration plans changed with kids?
