Halloween Fun, Not Fright

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Thursday, October 29, 2009
by Jeannie Fleming-Gifford

It's Halloween. Whether your family celebrates this holiday or not, you may be wondering how to deal with all the hoopla that goes along with this time of year.

As for me, I'm an "everything in moderation" kinda gal, so when I walked into my munchkin's classroom and found the book "Go Away Green Monster" my first reaction was:

What?

Monsters?

I don't want them talking about monsters. What are they doing to these kiddos?!

After recovering from my knee-jerk reaction, I took a closer look at the week's lesson plan. I realized that monsters were in it everywhere. As in: "The Monster Mash," monster mix (i.e. party mix), and lots of monster art.

Then, I saw the costumes in the classroom. There were masks. No, not the gory Halloween masks, but masks that covered faces and made me wonder if my kiddo would be able to figure out (and not freak out) about who or what was behind them.

Now, my kid goes to a great -no, exceptional -early childhood center. I'm crazy about these folks and their curriculum. I'm also crazy about the fact that my kid loves it as much as I do (if only I could keep her there through college. Sigh.). But, I digress.

I'm the first to admit I'm just a tad overprotective. So, when it comes to all this Halloween hoopla, you might say I've been a "tad conservative." I've avoided the Halloween aisles afraid that my munchkin may not be able to digest such things as costumes and spooky sounds.

Then, I was hit over the head with the costumes, sounds and even some "spooky" images in an environment I trust most.

What is happening here?

Then, I began to get it. As a toddler, she's actively engaged in the exploration of her world. She's gaining the skills to process, assimilate and accomodate all these new experiences. When given to her appropriately (like in her classroom environment where she knows she is safe and secure), she can begin to understand what is scary, what is not, and why it is and why it isn't.

Ahh...my bulb turns on. It's going back to the basics. It's introducing new experiences in appropriate ways.

Am I ready to drag her through her first haunted house? Absolutely not, but maybe next time we'll be up for strolling down the Halloween aisle at our local store.

Halloween...I never thought I would find fun (and understanding) in how to deal with everyday fears.

Looking for more ways on how to deal with childhood fears? Check out: www.keepkidshealthy.com/experts/pt/halloween_fears.html

Boo to you and yours -

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