Halloween

Ah, the joys of Halloween - the one night a year that parents get to torment their wee ones with costumes they hate and send them out to beg for candy that their parents will eat for them.

Oh you mean that is only in my house? Oops!

Well, fine then. At least I will admit to doing it for purely selfish reasons even if no one else will.

We spent money on a costume this year and as soon as we did I thought "well, there's $25 done the drain. The kid will never let us put it on him". Thankfully his little friend across the street put his costume on ('rents aren't fessing up to what they bribed him with). So Little Man agreed to his costume - a lion and I wasn't completely convinced we wouldn't end up with the Cowardly lion when we were going for the Lion King. He did great. Right up until we put his hood on. Oh the look of utter horror! The crocodile (um, do lions cry huge tears?) tears! The Torture! Where is Amnesty International when you need them? The Humanity!

Eh. He survived. It took a few minutes but we managed to coax a smile out of him and in no time he was off with Daddy to try this whole Trick or Treating thing. It wasn't long before Cowardly Lion was replaced with the Lion King and true to form, my boy ruled his Universe.

The plan was to hit 3 or 4 houses and then let him hang outside and hand out candy. Nope, he had other plans. He hit the whole court - all 26 townhouses. He is officially a trick or treat pro. He said "Tank Do" each and every time. He only had one minor mishap. At one house, he was handed an extra lollipop so he reached into his pumpkin, took a piece out and tried to give it in exchange. Hmm, mishap or was he doing a trade for a less-liked piece of candy? Maybe he instinctively knew mommy didn't like Sugar Daddys (oh I like the OTHER kind, believe me. At least I think I do, never actually had one...).

So yes, I put my son in a costume he hated (in part) and sent him out to scam candy out of neighbors knowing full well he wouldn't eat a single bite of it. All so I could claim my favorite standby - taking one for the team. So excuse me, I believe there is some chocolate calling my name...