Halloween

   The leaves are falling and cool weather is setting in. Definitely one of my favorite times of the year. Tonight will not be the typical trick or treating for our little family though. My youngest niece is a senior in the band and the school is honoring their seniors at half time of tonight's football game. So we are traveling to Tennessee for a quick visit to celebrate another milestone in her life. Ry is still going to dress up as a veterinarian and I'm sure obtain an obscene amount of sugar from the friendly trunk or treat participants, which we will then have to ration out over the next year or so. He doesn't seem overly worried about the whole Halloween idea anyway. Which is in part due to how we approach the celebration of All Hallows' eve. 

    I will do my best to stay off of my soap box and please don't think this is a behind the scenes religious issue, but in general we don't celebrate Halloween. This is not to say there is anything wrong about celebrating it or those who thoroughly enjoy it. We simply do not see the point in all the spooking and ghost and goblin scene. I believe it is enchanting for kids to be able to play pretend and dress up as someone or something else. This level of play fuels imagination and creativity, but I also feel that a child should be able to do so everyday not just on one special occasion. 

     The enormous amounts of artificially flavored and processed sugar we willing hand out and even allow over consumption of is another issue I have with this "holiday". Being able to enjoy a treat is fun and good for children to experience throughout childhood. The way we willing allow them to over indulge for a week or more is the issue. We have a major problem in America with obesity and sugar addiction. I know people are making more conscious decisions with the amounts of sugar intake they have but most seem to let it slide for this time of the year. I agree you only live once so enjoy yourself, but creating a bad habit that can cause serious health risks now and in the future is a major concern. We are not teaching our children how to balance a diet or portion control in general and then we add on the candy and sweet epidemic from Halloween. Just something to think about when letting your child choose a treat for the evening from their abundant haul. 

     I apologize for the small soap box incident above. I'm very passionate about health consciousness after learning I have not really known the correct way to give my body nutrition for the past 20 years or so. We do feel that Halloween does have its perks and is not all bad.  For instance the imagination factor of playing pretend that I mentioned. We also love how it brings communities together. Neighborhoods all sharing with each other and focusing on the youth and their enjoyment is a beautiful thing. 

    We do celebrate Halloween as far as Rylence dressing up and walking around collecting sweet treats, so don't think this is a 'Halloween is evil' post. I just feel that there are better ways of feeding the imagination and creativity of a young mind than the way us Americans handle it at this time of year. Enough from my little corner of the world. Enjoy your evening no matter how you spend it! 

XoXo