But, having kids means that sometimes we have to endure those things we don’t care for. We do not allow our children to dress in gory costumes, or scary things. They must be positive. But let me tell you, these boys get excited about Halloween. I really think it’s just because they’re getting candy, but they do enjoy it. This year, the boys are our “happy meal.”
I think one main reason that I don’t enjoy Halloween is because of the emotional stress we go through with Brendan during this holiday. He likes the idea of this holiday, but when he’s in the activities, he melts down fast. He’s overstimulated from the crowds, noise, scary things. He can’t make decisions. He has a hard time choosing a candy when the bowl is placed in front of him, and he doesn’t quite know how to say “trick or treat” or “thank you” to all these people that he doesn’t know.
Our nights of trick or treating typically start off like this...
-Brendan is scared to go up to about the first 5-6 houses. He’s unsure of what happen since he’s never been there before.
- after watching his brother go up and come back with candy, he starts going as well (his brother is very good about helping him with this)
- after about 30 min, he wants his costume off
- after about 45 min, his feet hurt and he can’t walk anymore (he weighs 92 pounds...)
- he starts not wanting to go up to the homes anymore and is asking to go home
- the more crowded the streets get, the more agitated he starts getting as well.
I turn into the holder of all things. Sometimes I’m even carrying him. Although, that won’t be an option this year, I can barely lift him. His behavior starts to turn negative, which in turn makes me feel negative and makes me just want to end it all and go home. Poor Liam ends up having to call it quits early because I can’t take it anymore...
This year, we’re hoping for things to be a bit different. We’ve gotten Brendan a less restrictive costume and a special bucket!
This year, we got him a blue bucket, which is meant to help those passing out candy to see that he has autism, and maybe that’s why is social skills aren’t what they should be. He’s very excited about his bucket and told me he can’t wait to fill it to the top!! That means he will have to go to quite a few houses to get it full! He’s had a lot of growth in the last year, so I feel he will be able to overcome some of these obstacles this year. Also, we’re going with his favorite person, so I think he’ll be able to get through it all!
We hope you all have a safe and fun Halloween! And remember, if you see a child with a blue bucket, be understanding.
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