Halloween is coming, and I have a request from this community.
Please don’t discourage anyone from dressing up and having fun – especially teenagers.
It happens every year – a doorbell rings and a member of the household hops up from their chair to answer the trick-or-treat caller. At the sight of an older kid (or teenager) holding up their sack, the person with the candy makes a remark like, “aren’t you a little too old for this?”
I feel very strongly about this because it seems today’s childhood days are severely numbered. Elementary kids today are having conversations and lessons about things I didn’t know about till junior high or even high school.
They have been forced to grow up and asked to understand things they shouldn’t have to – and even though I think that’s wrong and horrible that’s the way it is.
Kids have to learn about safety measures in their schools (not just from natural disasters) they have to learn about drug addiction to understand maybe why their parents aren’t around … oftentimes it’s hard for me to wrap my mind around these things because I’m all about living in my happy bubble but God has shown me just how spoiled I am – how blessed this community is – and how some are not so fortunate.
Halloween is an annual glimpse of happiness and fun for some kids, and it’s important to be mindful that some of the trick-or-treaters visiting your front door are from a world of brokenness. Please don’t discourage them from wanting to hang onto their childhood, or have some innocent fun.
Please turn on your front porch light, pass out some candy and compliment costumes because that’s how you love on these kids. Show them you care, and give a wave to the parents waiting on the curb – because not all parents do that.
Have a safe and happy Halloween, Carthage. My little green Lego Ninja and sparkly pink Bat Girl will be out there with you enjoying these sweet childhood days.
Rebecca Haines is a contributor to The Carthage Press.
