Stage 1: Awakening
This stage usually kicks off in late August when the sight of candy corn starts popping up in stores. Thanks a lot, CVS! You’ve officially hijacked the months of September and October and have us all pondering, “How many days until Halloween?” for the next 57 days. Sweet, right? (No pun intended.)
Stage 2: Evaluation
Once the sugar alert mode is activated (thanks again, CVS), your child will begin evaluating their costume options. No, that’s not an ancient college essay they dug up; it’s the latest Halloween costume catalog they’ve passionately decorated with a red marker. After some intense circling, starring, and x-ing, they’ve likely whittled down their choices to a whopping 27 options.
Stage 3: Declaration
The declaration phase commonly happens at the bus stop or during a social gathering when your child exclaims, “I’m gonna be a DINOSAUR for Halloween! Roar!” But when they get blank stares from friends opting for the Avengers, they quickly slide into Stage 4.
Stage 4: Rejection
Ha, ha, ha! Of course, they were just joking about being a dinosaur. Their little sister will be the dinosaur. Then they lean in and ask if you can stream the latest superhero movie to see what’s trending.
Stage 5: Anxiety
After hanging out with older, cooler cousins or friends, your kid discovers they’re going for a “practical” look this Halloween by dressing as athletes. Cue the panic! What’s a kid to do? Should they stick with their friends or adopt the cool cousin vibe?
Stage 6: Encouragement
At this point, a little parental intervention is needed before your child loses their mind over costume choices. You’ll probably discuss independence, the importance of personal choice, and practicality—because not every parent can whip up a Princess Leia costume on the fly.
Stage 7: Resolution
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner! They’ve settled on being a COWBOY! Praise be! A decision has been reached! Until…
Stage 8: Uncertainty
Post-in-school Halloween parade, they start to rethink their choice because the Cowboy costume didn’t quite live up to expectations.
Stage 9: Negotiation
Here comes the parental reinforcements again because it’s now 5:30 PM on October 31, and your child vehemently refuses to wear the chosen costume. After witnessing a friend dressed as a “social media post,” they’re suddenly feeling inadequate. At this point, it’s perfectly reasonable for you to curse the “perfect parents” who made you and every other mom and dad feel like a failure for not crafting a costume. You’ve got just one last trick up your sleeve: “No costume, no candy.”
Stage 10: Did someone say treats?
Your child dashes to the basement, grabs the firefighter costume they’ve had since forever, and bolts outside with an empty pillowcase flapping in the wind. Really? Really.
This humorous journey through the costume selection process is just a reminder of the ups and downs of parenting during Halloween. If you’re interested in more insights into family life and parenting, check out this other blog post. For those considering home insemination, Make a Mom is an authority on the topic, and for more information on pregnancy, you can visit this excellent resource.