Halloween fear

[kleb]

We have a 9 yr. old daughter who's scared to death of Halloween. If she could erase it from the calendar & it be gone forever, she would.

This fear keeps escalating each yr. & is not tied to any thing from her past that would cause her to be this frightened. We've had tears since the end of Sept. & now we're having bad dreams that wake her up, & there's still atleast 3 more wks. before the day arrives!

She has asked not to go trick-or-treating, not to attend school that day since she won't have to deal with the parades & class parties, & not to shop the mall during the month of Oct. since a few stores have scary store fronts.

She's not interested in giving out the candy at home either, but would rather close up in her room so as not to see the costumes.

We' made her school, teacher & principal aware of her fears & they've been really supportful in helping her through this, but the concerns are still ongoing.

Any one else going through this?

We don't want to give her credence to her fear by granting her requests, but to make life simplier for her to get through the next wks. & ourselves, we're certainly feeling it's our only option.

[aprilgail]

Perhaps you should get your daughter some counseling to find out the reason behind all of that, it seems way extreme to me...

[littlebitties]

I'm not crazy about Halloween myself, so I can sympathize with her. I HATE all the scary/gory displays, and personally find many of them offensive to be put on public display where small children are likely to see them. I'm not "frightened" of Halloween, just don't care for it. What other time of the year would you send your kids out to beg candy from total strangers, and leave them at the mercy of people who think it's funny to scare the beejeebers out of them? It drives me *nuts* to see my neighbors hiding in the bushes to jump out at little ones who come trick-or-treating. Regardless my religious beliefs, there is so much mischief, mayhem, and vandalism that goes on that night, it just turns me off.

Do you attend a church? I know some religions (mine included) teach that Halloween is a celebration of evil. Could she have been taught something like this in Sunday School, or maybe from a friend or relative?

I know a lot of churches have "Fall Festivals" or "Harvest Parties" with no costumes, not even so much as a jack-o-lantern (sometimes considered to be pagan) and nothing scary allowed. Usually all kids, regardless of religion, are welcome at these family-friendly activites. Maybe you could try attending one of these with her, and see if it helps ease some of her fears about October? Just a thought.

Oh yeah, and when I was a kid, I was TERRIFIED of fireworks. I would hide under my bed every 4th of July...but I got over it, and I bet your daughter will outgrow her fears, too.

[littlred]

I'm going out on a limb here .I hope you do not think I am crazy.
She may have had a past life and somthing may have happend during this time.. I also suggest she just go see someone and maybe take her back or relax her and see what happens.

[Sue]

I always loved getting the candy on Halloween when I was young, BUT I was afraid of my own shadow. I was very shy and was very afraid of alot of things. I still to this day do not like the real scary things, when we took our grandson trick or treating when he was little, I would make my husband take him to the really scary houses. LOL. I was even afraid of clowns and Santa Clause when I was little. (bad thing to be afraid of). I am reminded every Christmas how when I was little and we went to see Santa, I didn't know he was there and when I came around the corner and saw him I took off screaming to the other side of the store. Not sure what to tell you to ease her fears, I'm sure at 9 she knows that they are just people in costumes, but I still don't like people popping out at me in scary costumes so I do feel for her. I hope you and she can find a way to overcome her fears at least enough so she can enjoy getting all that yummy candy.

[startn]

I have always loved Halloween....and it was always as much fun as Christmas for us!! Running around from house to house...some fun or funny and others 'spooky', going on Hayrides, Scavanger Hunts...it was a blast....and still is my favorite time of year. It's ashame so much of it has changed due to safety issues.

I don't think there's anything 'Evil' about it at all, and am concerned about all these Churches that are teaching their members that it is.

It's too bad your daughter is having such a rough time with it...she had to have gotten this 'fear' from something or someone. That would be my concern, is to find out what caused her fear to start and to keep it going. I hope you can help her with it...no one should live in fear, especially kids. Good Luck

[Mel]

Hi, I came across this book yesterday and thought it might help:


Halloween, Is It for Real?
"Halloween is an odd mixture of creepy creatures, costume parties, and harvest festivals. It is also a confusing time for those hesitant to celebrate a holiday that traces its roots to pagan practices and beliefs. This delightful book comes to the rescue! Written by Harold Myra, President of Christianity Today, this trustworthy story is accompanied with fun illustrations. Children--and parents--will learn how to enjoy Halloween and use this day to celebrate God`s victory over evil!"
Was $7.99
Now $1.50
(81% Off!)

[kleb]

Mel,
Thanks for the book idea. It sounds exactly like something she would enjoy since she's very strong in her faith.
Kathy

[kleb]

Sue,
Thanks for writing. I love fall, but I could do without Halloween & all the gore that has come to go with it over the years. So that she doesn't lose out on her favorite candies, we told her we would let her choose her selection at a store & she's looking forward to that day in Nov. when Halloween is all over so she can do just that.
Kathy