Halloween

[alison]

How do you talk to a 6-yo child who is scared shitless of Halloween. Things are ramping up at school as we move closer to the day with skeleton-themed lessons. It's the skeletons that freak her out the most. They also celebrate the Day of the Dead in Spanish class, and she comes home in tears on the days that they talk about dead family members and look at pictures of altars and see skeletons dancing (not sure if that's part of it, but she's reported that she's seen pictures of it). We are out of town on the 31st, so that helps her to not have to deal with trick or treating (hates that, too).

Any advice?

[ladymoreta]

Poor sweet M! Would she feel more or less stressed if your DH went over some anatomy texts showing her skeletons in a kind of science lesson?

[alison]

Yes! We've tried to go that very technical route, but it's like she gets to school, and they play up the scary aspect of skeletons chasing/teeth chattering/gonna come GET you! And the technical stuff goes out the window again, because "FAWK! A skeleton picture doing scary stuff again!"

I'm thinking about bringing it up with the teacher, but it's really just 2 weeks of trying to get through it and then it's done and they move on to turkeys and corn talk.

She's having another not so great start to the year, but that's another thread entirely. . TGIF!

[Thirteen]

This was DS1, last year.

This year? We watched It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, and let him pick out window clings and help me "decorate". We talked about how at our house, there are only friendly jack o lanterns and friendly ghosts.

(Last year, they learned a cute song about sleeping bats, but it was in a minor key and sent him over the edge for 6 weeks! Sobbing, terrified of school, etc. No bat song this year. Thank goodness!)

I'm sorry this is happening.


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[MrsK]

Yes! We've tried to go that very technical route, but it's like she gets to school, and they play up the scary aspect of skeletons chasing/teeth chattering/gonna come GET you! And the technical stuff goes out the window again, because "FAWK! A skeleton picture doing scary stuff again!"

I'm thinking about bringing it up with the teacher, but it's really just 2 weeks of trying to get through it and then it's done and they move on to turkeys and corn talk.

She's having another not so great start to the year, but that's another thread entirely. . TGIF!

I'd bring it up with the teacher. She should know if she's traumatizing her students. Also, not to be a spoil sport, but it's really unnecessary to make a hoopla of halloween at school. Yes, it's fun and it's broadly celebrated in the US but it is, at it's root, a religious holiday and has nothing to do with the school curriculum.

[alison]

I think I'll go the route of trying to make it cute. Maybe I can find skeleton shaped chocolate or gummies or something. That could give her a sense of control if she eats her fear away. Have I gone nuts?

[SoonerTexan]

Hey I still flipped out when DH brought a human skull home to study with in MS1. "I'm not sleeping with someone's head in our living room"

Tell M I've got her back


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[alison]

I wouldn't like that either, ST!

Thanks for your encouragement. You guys are the best!

[memyselfandI]

Poor thing! Can you see from the teacher if there are other kids who are also spooked? Maybe those kids can try to stick together as a support system.

[alison]

It's gotten better, thankfully! She even checked out a book from the school library about Halloween and it had one of those drawings of a graveyard with a skeleton's hand sticking out of the ground. She was scared of the picture, but then I had a talk with her about how there are people who enjoy being scared by things like Halloween, roller coasters, bungee cords. She thought that was crazy, but then said that she's noticed this, too. . So far, so good.

[Thirteen]

It's gotten better, thankfully! She even checked out a book from the school library about Halloween and it had one of those drawings of a graveyard with a skeleton's hand sticking out of the ground. She was scared of the picture, but then I had a talk with her about how there are people who enjoy being scared by things like Halloween, roller coasters, bungee cords. She thought that was crazy, but then said that she's noticed this, too. . So far, so good.

Hooray for progress!


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[alison]

Thank you! She and her sister are so different. M's needs are entirely social and emotional (and always have been) while C's are physical. I'm so tapped out. I try to support M while I'm pulling C off of lampshades.

[Thirteen]

Thank you! She and her sister are so different. M's needs are entirely social and emotional (and always have been) while C's are physical. I'm so tapped out. I try to support M while I'm pulling C off of lampshades.

Do we have the same kids?


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[spotty_dog]

It's gotten better, thankfully! She even checked out a book from the school library about Halloween and it had one of those drawings of a graveyard with a skeleton's hand sticking out of the ground. She was scared of the picture, but then I had a talk with her about how there are people who enjoy being scared by things like Halloween, roller coasters, bungee cords. She thought that was crazy, but then said that she's noticed this, too. . So far, so good.

Yay, that approach works for mine sometimes too, "That's just how some people are," LOL. Fortunately my kids never seem to get judgy about it -- they just take it in stride that everybody's different in totally cool ways.