Another Halloween for filing away in my memory Rolodex. This time, however, I can appropriately mark it as a “last” event in my youngest daughter’s life. She informed me a few days before Halloween that it would probably be her and her friends’ last time trick or treating, “We’re 17 after all.”
I usually miss last occurrences, because, as we all know, we don’t necessarily realize when moments in our children’s lives are the last times they will do something: last ride on the mechanical horse at the grocery store, last bedtime story. And since she has one more year of high school, I would have expected it next year instead of this year. So it was nice of her to inform me.
I have to confess, I’ve thought for years it should have been their last year trick or treating. I thought it would be her last year three years ago when she had to miss it because she had driver’s ed class. But she and her friends weren’t ready to give it up yet, mollifying the knowledge they were probably too old by collecting money for UNICEF. And if they also received candy while on their journey, so be it. They were just not ready to let go.
I haven’t argued with their continued collections. There are certainly worse things teens could be doing on Halloween than begging for candy and collecting money for a good cause.
In fact, I’ve been the host for the last couple years for her and her friends. They finally figured out you get more candy in a non-covenant neighborhood like ours with no sidewalks. There are trades offs to living in a neighborhood without a covenant: there are no rules to what we plant in our yards and park on our streets (which we take full advantage of) and there is no one to tell you what you can do with your house or yard. It doesn’t look like the candy-laden adventure it is.
We don’t get many trick or treaters, eight this year, so people in our neighborhood and the two others that are attached to ours hand out whole candy bars or handfuls of candy just so they aren’t stuck with excess calories. My house is at a particular disadvantage because we are at the end of the three neighborhoods and kids don’t often make it this far. With the last few blocks before my mine being devoid of small children and Halloween spirit, parents and kids give up before they make it all the way to our end.
Every year I think this is the year all those kids at the bus stop will make it around to my house. I still have a whole bag of Costco candy left.
We started our Halloween at a friend’s house with a bonfire and a wonderful autumn feast of soups, ham sandwiches, and polish dogs. They were gracious enough to let me bring the whole menagerie and feed them. Then the kids went off on the last trick or treating of their lives, until they take their own kids. I made a huge pan of nachos for a late night snack when they were over-sugared and needed to come down off their high. Then I went to bed.
The next morning, at the mention of the typical pancakes a sleepover usually requires, they groaned, “Too much sugar!” When I offered up cheesy eggs, bacon and toast they practically cheered, “Protein, yes!” So I whipped it all up and they devoured it.
In the old days, pancakes would have been welcomed. Maybe they really are growing up if pancakes just won’t do anymore.
Gretchen Leigh is a stay-at-home mom who lives in Covington. She is just living in the moment. You can also read more of her writing and her daily blog on her website livingwithgleigh.com or on Facebook at “Living with Gleigh.” Her column is available every week at maplevalleyreporter.com under the Lifestyles section.
