Halloween with Teens

Bye bye are the days of princess and train costumes. Super heroes, video game characters, vampires and witches are more the trend for teens/tweens getting ready for this spooky celebration. As the weather gets cooler, Halloween is quickly approaching. This year it falls on a Friday, which is perfect for parties and maybe even trick or treating.

It may just be our family but my tween and teen are still excited to go trick or treating especially with a few friends. I am not sure if it is because they rarely get large quantities of candy or just want to hang out to celebrate the holiday. Our neighborhood has sidewalks, proper lighting and is a fairly small circuit for the kids to walk around. Everyone is usually out saying hi and seeing how much the kids have grown. I think if the kids are into the idea and make it fun by dressing up then, by all means should enjoy trick or treating to celebrate.

Parties are part of most celebrations with a both a teen and tween. Each of them has parties starting a week or two before Halloween. As a parent, I am always concerned about letting the kids go to parties but, with proper supervision, they are fun for everyone.
Of course, costume is key at a Halloween party. My goal is to make sure they are age appropriate and bodies are covered. Make sure your child feels comfortable that they can call you at anytime if they want to leave the party for any reason. I always think it is best to leave an environment rather than staying and feeling uncomfortable.

Even pumpkin decorating is still fun for my kids. Rather than carving pumpkins, my kids prefer to draw on fun faces with sharpies on their pumpkin. As kids get older, it is a concern what is age appropriate. Each child is different and definitely will let you know if it is cool or not cool to do something. This happens for more than just Halloween. When they are ready, trick or treating will become a thing of the past. Hopefully, this will be driven by their own maturity rather than peer pressure. Until then, enjoy these fun moments and take lots of pictures.

Happy Halloween!
Carrie