A Parent's Halloween Trial

"Scary Ghost" by celebdu, via Flickr

While kids can't seem to wait for Halloween to arrive, I suspect that most parents dread it.  Store-bought costumes are hellishly expensive, you have to buy a metric ton of candy, and then you have to take your child out in the dark and try not to lose them, all the while hoping that no one will TP your house while you're gone.

Tracy Beckerman of Lake News Online describes one of the most frustrating aspects of Halloween parenting, costume selection: 

My head was spinning. The room was spinning. We were shopping for Halloween costumes and my daughter didn’t know what she wanted to be. But I did. I decided I should dress up as the devil because I was definitely in hell.

I know my mom endured a lot of this from me as a child.  I was an especially opinionated child, and my opinions were especially fickle.  She made many a gorgeous costume, only to hear me refuse to wear it when the time came.  It's a good thing the woman is a saint, or else my ghost costume might've been a permanent one.