Scary Mommy

Aidan discovered "scary" this year. Prior to the initial "scary" incident he didn't really have a concept of fear except when his daddy threw him too high in the air or Grandpa dangled him from his ankles. He didn't know that things could be scary. That all changed in the middle of August. (I have to mention that I really hate that we've started selling seasonal items two and a half months BEFORE the holiday. It just reminds me that much sooner how I will be scrambling at the last minute to get everything ready for said holidays.) We were at Michael's craft store looking for baskets for the changing table. There was a Halloween display on the way to check stand with electronic ghoulish figures. As Aidan hadn't been hitherto frightened by such creatures we stopped to look at a skeleton pirate poking it's head out of a treasure chest. Bad idea. His already big eyes grew to the size of Frisbees and his little hands reached out to me to rescue him. We quickly moved on not noticing the motion activated life size mummy that screeched as we hurried past. Aidan shrieked at the top of his lungs and the tears he'd been able to hold back from the skeleton came down in torrents down his cheeks. For days he talked about the "scary mommy". From then on we had to be careful as Halloween decor went up in the grocery store and scary movies started popping up on TV. He was even afraid of the Charlie Brown Halloween special. During the course of it I looked at him to see tears brimming in his eyes. I asked him if he was okay. "Yes," he said not tearing his eyes away from the screen lest the costumed characters jumped out of the TV. "Is this scary?" "Yes," he said, a little less certain. "Would you like me to change it?" "Yes," as he inched closer to me. Oh the poor kid. But Halloween is over, thank goodness and no more scary mommies are in sight, unless you count me on a bad day.

Aidan got to go trick-or-treating this year. He was going to be Tigger, but I never could find a costume for him and by the time I got around to actually trying to figure something else out I was afraid he'd be going as a ghost wearing a pillowcase with eye holes cut out (he's a little tyke). But, miracle of miracles, I found a dragon costume at Old Navy. It was the very last one and it was 50% off. Can't beat that. So he was a dragon, which he loved. He kept calling it "My Dragon Tales!" He was the cutest dragon I've ever seen. He had a great time trick-or-treating, but I'm afraid that the cold he has now is a result of it. Oh well.