What Moms Do on Halloween
If You're Still Emotionally Recovering From Halloween, This Mom's Thank-You Note Is a Must Read
If you are currently sending yourself a reminder to just "not even" next Halloween, hold that thought. Like you, every year on Nov. 1, I swear up and down that I'm done — that I'll never again try to orchestrate a family costume (that includes our dog), that I won't bother with pumpkin-carving or face-painting or spooky decorations, that I'll scrap trying to DIY anything. Forever. For good.
But then one mom sends a thank-you note to her fellow parents, whom she calls the "real superheroes of Halloween" — the ones who do all the things to make Oct. 31 such a memorable day for their kids. And, well, my cold, blackened heart is already starting to warm:
Here's to you, moms throwing healthy meals into the crockpot at noon so you'll have time to put safety pins on the too-big costume when you'd normally be cooking.
Here's to you, moms frantically searching through Target for that last accessory you swore you already had in the dress-up box that is now unexplainably missing.
Here's to you, moms who will waste your favorite eyeliner drawing cat whiskers on a wiggly preschooler.
Here's to you, moms who toast or roast pumpkin seeds- so much work for so little reward.
Here's to you, moms who have to stop getting kids ready fifteen different times to hand out treats to the neighbor kids who are OUT SO EARLY, but in all your frustration you remember to tell them how cute they are.
Here's to you, moms who spent four hours creating Pinterest-worthy treats that your kids gobbled up in 10 minutes without comment.
In her post, she also thanks those moms who put out teal pumpkins, who make costumes that work with wheelchairs and baby helmets, and who tirelessly prepare their kid with autism for what they'll experience while trick-or-treating. It's a good reminder that even when we think we're overextending ourselves, someone else is doing much more.
So, don't give up trying to do it all next Halloween. Even if it seems thankless at the time, I'm quickly realizing that it's not — that these memories will last not just for our kids, but for ourselves as well. And, anyway, I know you're already planning 1,537 things to do over the holidays, so don't even pretend.
