Halloween Eve Excitement!

As we get ready for Halloween, I thankfully enjoy the anticipation of how much fun we will have as a family tomorrow night when we go trick-or-treating. I think that Zach does understand it this year - kinda. He understands that he will carry a pumpkin basket around and that it's called trick-or-treating, and that he will get candy. Aside from that, he doesn't understand the rest (like where the candy will come from, why he'll be going to houses, but not going inside, what all this costume stuff is all about, etc, etc) He won't "get" all that, but he'll be excited all the same just to get candy! And that's good enough for us! And we are excited! However, I just ran across this little blurb on another blog, and thought it was so true. I wanted to post it for the few fellow special needs parents that read this, and for others to see the zillions of hoops we parents jump through on any given day.

I realize that as parents of children with special needs, we’re often the ones having to wear the costumes. And not only on Halloween, but every day. From the smiles we paint on our faces to the stiff upper lips we rubber cement onto our chins. As our children grow, we become the people they need us to be, to enable them to be who they are. We become superheroes...fighting for our children’s rights. Lions and lionesses...protecting our defenseless cubs. And cartoon characters...getting the proverbial anvil dropped on our heads only to rise the next day and start all over again. We morph into oak trees...solid, not budging from our positions. Wizards...looking for the universal magic wand to manifest the impossible. And knights in armor...battling the unjust judgments and criticisms of those around us. We can appear to be aliens...with families unlike most of our neighbors. And founding fathers...striving to create something better for our children. We are athletes...still reaching when nothing is within reach. Builders...laying down strong foundations for our children’s lives. And circus clowns...trying desperately to find the humor in it all. We are survivors...we are innovators...we are the champions for our children who are the greatest champions of all. So go eat some candy this Halloween - you deserve it :-)

This will be a great Halloween - I can feel it! I will post after the big night and let you know how it went, but I just know it's going to be great. When I ask Zach if he wants to go trick-or-treating, he immediately goes and gets his pumpkin basket and asks for candy! HA!