I’m Not A Huge Fan Of Halloween, But My Kids Wont Know
Let’s keep it real, Halloween isn’t for everybody! Halloween and I have a deep Love/Hate relationship.
I grew up quick as a youngster due to my environment and don’t really remember the last time I put on a costume as a kid.
My dad hooked me with dope kiddy costumes like Alf and these cheap as hell Transformer masks that would make a dollar store customer look like Gucci outfit lol. Even though they were cheap at the time, they weren’t. Costumes have come a long way since the 1980’s!
I’m not a huge fan of dressing up, so Halloween isn’t a big thing for me. However; a dope dad doesn’t mess it up for his kids and I will act like I love it for life. Heck, I even joined the fun last year and dressed up as part of the potato head crew with my own family.
I hated it but loved that my kids loved it. Weird right? Not really, I’m sure I’m not the only one feeling like that!
Halloween As A Child
Halloween for me growing up in the hood, meant I would throw on a hockey mask like Jason and go bomb other kids with eggs.
That was Halloween for me and I loved it!
We would go to other blocks and just have egg fights with other crews for fun. As we got older though some of the fun disappeared as the tools of the trades got upgraded. I almost lost a close friend on Halloween due to our antics.
By 14-15 I was out there shooting other teenagers with paintball guns and beating up rival crews for fun. All of this without my parent’s knowledge, they probably thought my friends and I were doing cute stuff around the South Bronx. Ahhh parenthood and the naiveness that comes with it at times.
It was the wild west for us and I really really loved it but would kill my kids if they did the same. Growth will do that to a dad!
I Do Halloween For My Kids And Smile
When you become a dad, holidays like Halloween, become more and more for your kids. Especially for me, because if I didn’t have kids I would be that guy at parties with no costume on or sitting at home playing video games instead lol.
I know that sucks but it makes me happy! But with 3 kids, staying at home on Halloween is a no no!
Imagine telling your kids that you are not going anywhere on a day most kids really look forward to! That would break their heart, I’m not doing that.
I have to suck in the fact that I would rather be home and make this day special for them. The pressure is real but real dads make it happen!
The Things We Do For Our Kids
Instead of being upset all day, I go to all of my kids Halloween events at their schools and cheer them on as we walk the cold long blocks of NYC in search of candy and fun.
I watch them talk to other kids, give each other high fives, and even trade candy with a big smile on my face. I would rather be home nice and warm but their memories are worth more to me than that. So I do it all with a smile!
The funny thing is that once we start our walks, those fake smiles I have become real and the Halloween spirit takes over. I still don’t throw any eggs though lol.
We start talking about all the cool costumes we pass by, we join the fun of pretending to be scared when we pass a house decorated to the max. I even start laughing with other parents about our day or simply scare the crap out of a kid passing by.
I don’t love Halloween like I used to as a kid, but I know my kids do and that’s all that matters.
Even though I don’t dress up like all the other cool dads, I have just as much or even more fun than most of them. I just had to learn to hide the initial dissatisfaction from my kids. Plus all of that pressure is gone the next day, I can hack it for a day if needed!
It’s a job I am always willing to do for my kids because I am here for them, nothing more nothing less.
Make your presence felt even on the holidays that don’t excite you! Those memories, later on, will be worth the slight suffering!
