I love Halloween like a seven year old loves Halloween, but I do not have the mental bandwidth to stress about my daughters costumes this year.
Here’s how this year’s costumes came together:
I had a lady bug costume shoved in the back of the closet that I bought at a garage sale for $2 long before it would fit my oldest daughter, in anticipation of her trick or treating days.
Then a couple weeks ago I saw an infant size lady bug costume hanging at a kids resale store for $2.
Perfection.
My two little love bugs would be lady bugs! Done. Settled. One decision out of my jam-packed brain.
Sometimes as parents we resist doing things the simple way because we don’t want our children to think we don’t care about them.
But simplicity is not the same as indifference.
As a young child you can probably think of instances of both. Sometimes simple things actually made you feel incredibly happy (making a homemade dice costume from a box), while indifference, or lack of planning, made you feel unimportant or forgotten (stopping at the grocery store on Halloween and picking from the leftover plastic masks).
Doing things more simple this year doesn’t mean that I don’t care, and it is important to me that my girls know that. Simple means that I am deciding how much of my precious time and attention can be put in to certain things, so that I have time and energy to actually invest in being present with them.
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Simple doesn’t mean you don’t care, or didn’t plan. It can actually be a sign that you planned well.
Remember that as you enter the crazy holiday season ahead.
And…
Happy Halloween (month)!
From,
The Oldest Trick or Treater on the Block
PS My oldest is two and a half and already pretty obsessed with Halloween. My job is done here:)
My Mom is the Worst 