H-A-double-L-O-W-double-E-N Spells Halloween!

Not surprisingly, Dylan’s been asking me to spell Halloween a lot lately.  I can’t help but respond by singing, “H-A-double-L-O-W-double-E-N spells Halloween!”  Then he looks at me like I’m the crazy one.  Geesh.  Do you remember this song?  Halloween old skool.  (And I feel old.)

Moving on…This status has been floating around Facebook for the past few days:

With Halloween upon us, please keep in mind a lot of little people will be visiting your home. Be accepting. The child who is grabbing more than one piece of candy may have poor fine motor skills. The child who takes forever to pick out one piece of candy may have motor planning issues. The child who does not say “trick or treat” or “thank you” may be non-verbal. The child who looks disappointed when they see your bowl, might have an allergy. The child who isn’t wearing a costume at all might have a sensory issue (SPD) or autism. Be nice. Be patient. It’s everyone’s Halloween.

I don’t know who started it.  I just know that I like it (and I “liked” it on Facebook, too).  It’s an excellent description of how Halloween played out in my house for a few (long) years.  Sensory processing disorder made Halloween (and many other occasions) a challenging time for us filled with stress, anxiety, and if I’m being honest, sadness.

You wouldn’t have guessed it from last year’s Halloween celebration…

Finn McMissile & Lightning McQueen

Or this year’s…

Optimus Prime!

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Long sleeves.  Long pants.  100% polyester.  A robe.  A belt.  A hood!  A mask!

(I swear those are my kids.)

To any parents out there in the trenches of a tough Halloween with their sensory (or developmentally delayed or sensitive or picky or grumpy) kids, just know that it gets better.  That is, until your young daughter wants to wear a sexy nurse, sexy jailbird, or sexy bumblebee costume.  Then, I imagine, it gets worse.

Now my biggest problem is the candy.  So. Much. Candy.  Thankfully, my kids are still excited about the Candy Fairy.  After eating and saving a few of their favorites, the rest will be left by their beds and exchanged for a toy while they sleep.

If your kids laugh in your face after you explain the whole Candy Fairy thing, you can always check out the Halloween Candy Buy Back or Operation Gratitude.  Or, you can send your extra candy to my husband.  He’d be thrilled.  Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are his favorite.  In fact, just a few nights ago he looked at me accusingly and said, “What happened to my candy?”  It was really rude of him to blame me for tossing his secret stash of candy, except for the fact that I’d just thrown it all out.  (Doesn’t that stuff get stale?  And beside, he needs to watch his cholesterol.)  Anyhow, message me on Facebook for a shipping address.  (Ha! That was a joke…the part about shipping candy to my husband.  The part about visiting my Facebook page, however, wasn’t.  Have you “Liked” my Runaway Mama page?)

p.s. Harry the Bee!

Buzz…