Halloween costumes and kids

[Ephany]

DD10 is going as a Ravenclaw student from Harry Potter this year. That was a fun search as pretty much every thing sold is Gryffyndor. Thank goodness for ebay. I pretty much let her do whatever as long as it's reasonably priced and not gory/gross. Last year she was Artemis; the costumes have to meet school standards if she wants to wear them in the parade, so we've never really had an issue with one being inappropriate.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I think DS switched to scary costumes at about age eight. I figure I had my fun when he when he was little, and he's old enough to choose his own now. (I am grateful it's only about scary with the boys, though. I might have been stricter about some of the "adult"-looking costumes I see for girls.)

 

[leebee]

I too believe in picking my battles, and I am ok with Halloween, BUT we set firm limits on what we feel is ok to wear or not and those rules do not even have a chance to become a battle, they just know we are not going to budge on the rules, but they also know why. I think you need to decide why you don't like the idea of her wearing it and decide how strongly you feel about it and then tell her your decision.

My decision would have nothing to do with her being a boy or a girl and I love creative and wild and crazy. We just don't do scary or evil. Many of our kids friends do and we have no issue with them at all, it's just our choice, as it is your choice to decide what is right for your family. Just dont be afraid to say no to your child if you do have strong feelings about it.

As several others here have said, I'm the parent and I make the final decisions. My DD was fine with this, even through high school. By that time, she knew where the lines were drawn and respected/agreed with us enough to make smart choices. She knew the rules, knew the reasoning, and knew we weren't going to budge on the things we thought were important for us as parents and as a family.

If I were uncomfortable with my 9 year old dressing up as the Grim Reaper (and I would be), she'd just have to find a different costume.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

I really, really hate Halloween (for reasons other than it being considered a pagan holiday) and every year it seems like a struggle to get my kids to pick costumes out that I think are appropriate. This year my 9 yo daughter (who is a bit of a tomboy) has picked out a grim reaper costume. Her reasoning is that most of the girl costumes involve skirts or dresses and she refuses to wear them. I've tried telling her that there are plenty of cute costumes out there for girls that don't involve death, gore, or skirts but she still is stuck on the grim reaper. I really don't like scary or morbid costumes and prefer the kids to be cute instead of gory, but they always want to gravitate towards scary. (With the exception of my oldest dd who this year wants to be Gene Simmons from KISS....which is kind of cute and scary at the same time in a weird way). I'm a big believe in picking my battles with my kids. I try to let the little things that bother me slide by (like my youngest going to school in a purple shirt and fuchsia shorts). But this is one of those battles that can go either way. In all honesty, I'm really afraid that other kids will make fun of her if she dresses up as the grim reaper and that is probably my biggest concern in getting that costume for her. A couple of years ago she was a clone trooper from Star Wars and she was teased a bit....I think it would be worse at the age she is now. On the other hand, I don't feel like it would be as big a deal for my son to dress in the same costume. WWYD?

No big deal! Its a costume, make believe.

Last year DD was a zombie girl. I painted her face and she walked around in PJ's carrying a doll with no head. The kids at school loved it.

This year she is a zombie soccer player. All her friends are choosing a different sport.
She hasnt been a princess or something cutesy since kindergarten. This year she's in 4th grade.

 

[indimom]

I'd be okay with the grim reaper at any age. I consider that more spooky than gory or creepy. The only reason I set limits on gore or scare was for the other kids I knew would be around on Halloween night. We live in the middle of town and I've seen some pretty traumatized toddlers.

But, if she just wants to avoid a girly outfit, I'll throw two ideas we've used in the ring.

Old lady or old man (please seniors do not take offense). We borrowed a walker, took the lenses out of some big glasses, had a white wig, found some older style clothes from goodwill and my mom's house. A floral scarf to hold the wig in place. Clunky Jewelry and Strong flowery perfume (we used room deodorizer, strong stuff, lol).
She and her cousin did this together and pretended to be sisters, they talked loudly, and she carried some childhood pictures and showed off her 'grandbabies' to any one who would look. They joked about which types of candy would be bad for their dentures.
DD had a bag attached to the walker for people to put the treats in. People LOVED it. We have never talked to so many strangers. Even the families passing us on the sidewalk were getting into it.
By far the most fun we ever had trick or treating.

Tourist. Very easy. Just mimic the worst outfits you've ever seen at Disney. Don't forget the map (or grab some tourist pamphlets from a local rest stop), fanny pack, giant camera, and souvenir cup. Especially fun if you have a group. Pretend you are lost. Ask directions. Inquire about the best place to eat. Etc. This also got some good responses.

Good Luck!

 

[MissMichigan]

Personally, I'd be much happier with a little girl saying she wanted to be a grim reaper than a sexy kitten or something like that.

I was never one for "typical" or "cutesy" little girl costumes, and that's continued into my adult life. Although I did have to be a bunny quite a few times, because it worked for my white snow suit! That was always the back-up costume in case it snowed.

There have been a few times where I picked one of the "sexy" costumes because I felt like I was supposed to and wanted to fit in with all the other girls, and then spent the whole day feeling uncomfortable. This year, I'll be a zombie, with the gore and all.