The Halloween Outcast
The elementary school I attended held an annual Halloween Parade where students and teachers dressed up and each class marched in front of the entire school.
I didn’t participate.
7 years old Valerie reasoned that dressing up in front of everyone would feel embarrassing.
Halloween has become the most important holiday for me and the kids. I have found my comfortable niche in life and I am content.
I was asked to attend a Halloween party and its 98% strangers. So I have the opportunity to meet people in the town I will soon be living.
Opportunity? Hmmm
NO KIDS ALLOWED
Eek.
I weigh the pros and cons. The pros are obviously that I can meet new people and spend time with a person I care about. The con is that my kids will not be allowed to attend. This factor alone means that I will be missing the two main ingredients that make this holiday what it is! I will be dressing up in front of people I don’t know and parading about like the days of elementary school……
7 year old Valerie emerges once again!
Why am I all of a sudden engulfed with panic, anxiety and embarrassment?!?! I am not 7 yrs old but embarrassment is as old as time and feels the same.
I declined the invite and will rock a party that is kid friendly! I will enjoy myself with my wolf-daughter and zombified- son but will have to further analyze the inner workings of my mind to try to understand why I would feel embarrassed to dress up and parade about in front of people I don’t know.
Is it so hard to do what everyone else is doing????????