Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:

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Seriously? There are "anxious" kids on Halloween. Wow. Pass the Prozac.

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 Some kids don't like to be scared.

The Children's Museum in my town puts on a big Haunted House every year. They have a "lights on" time for younger kids. I took my boys ONCE when they were little. This witch got in DS2's face & he started crying. I picked him up & the damn person would no go away.

Seriously. My kid is crying...back off.

flan

BTW, flan, how do you face your fears if you never face your fears?

Yes.

My kids love a good BOO as much as anyone. Always have.

But they each went through a time when things were a bit too much. Each one took a turn in not liking Halloween cause they didn't like being scared.

So of course I talked to them about the things they might see. I didn't force them to do anything they did not want to do. And I stayed hyper vigilant watching for anything that might be too much for them.

They all went through it for a Halloween and then were over it the next.

Now there was one time when I did go off on a guy. My momma bear kicked in and I realized I was in his face after I was in his face.

We were TorT at the mall. No big deal right? The kids were loving it. The costumes were varied, some mild some extremely scary.

This one guy scared C to the point of tears, he even grabbed her. Yeah. I ripped him a new one. Scaring I could have dealt with but don't grab my kid!

lilyofcourse wrote:

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I have worked in haunted houses. You don't scare kids to the point of tears. That isn't fun, that is being mean.

The one thing that bothers me more than anything is knowing my kids are scared.

Life can throw all kinds of things at you. But I don't think being scared is something you should live with.

Sorry. If someone thinks it is cool to scare a kid to tears, that person has a problem in my book.

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 Exactly this.

I really should have complained.

flan

lilyofcourse wrote:

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I have worked in haunted houses. You don't scare kids to the point of tears. That isn't fun, that is being mean.

The one thing that bothers me more than anything is knowing my kids are scared.

Life can throw all kinds of things at you. But I don't think being scared is something you should live with.

Sorry. If someone thinks it is cool to scare a kid to tears, that person has a problem in my book.

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We were kids scaring other kids.  We didn't drag them in there.  They came across the street and paid us a quarter.  We made some money and went uptown to buy pop.  We actually had a really cool basement haunted house with fake vampire blood and peeled grapes for eyes and a bowl of spaghetti for intestines and a strobe light.  Sorry that you didn't actually have any fun as a kid.  Sheesh. 

Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:

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lilyofcourse wrote:

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I have worked in haunted houses. You don't scare kids to the point of tears. That isn't fun, that is being mean.

The one thing that bothers me more than anything is knowing my kids are scared.

Life can throw all kinds of things at you. But I don't think being scared is something you should live with.

Sorry. If someone thinks it is cool to scare a kid to tears, that person has a problem in my book.

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We were kids scaring other kids.  We didn't drag them in there.  They came across the street and paid us a quarter.  We made some money and went uptown to buy pop.  We actually had a really cool basement haunted house with fake vampire blood and peeled grapes for eyes and a bowl of spaghetti for intestines and a strobe light.  Sorry that you didn't actually have any fun as a kid.  Sheesh. 

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 So what you are saying is that YOUR level of comfort with being in the dark, with being startled, with loud noises and with people who do not look human IS not only the acceptable level but that it is the only level to measure FUN?

Outside of the fact that fear and anxiety are genetic or god given physical responses that have been programmed to save our lives.  The whole flight or fight reaction.  Being anxious about things in the dark is GOOD.  Having a heightened response to loud noises or unfamiliar faces/bodies is a biological reaction that would keep someone alive. 

And god forbid that a child is not overcome the various stages of fear in your approved schedule. 

Geesh, how many times have you posted about the left forcing you to accept something that you do not want to, but now it is perfectly ok to disparage a child because they don't like being in the dark or startled?  

lilyofcourse wrote:

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I have worked in haunted houses. You don't scare kids to the point of tears. That isn't fun, that is being mean.

The one thing that bothers me more than anything is knowing my kids are scared.

Life can throw all kinds of things at you. But I don't think being scared is something you should live with.

Sorry. If someone thinks it is cool to scare a kid to tears, that person has a problem in my book.

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 I agree.

We took the boys to a Halloween party Sunday at the club.  They had a haunted house.  #1 was fearless and loved being scared, #2, not so much.  Thankfully the zombie in the house took his mask off when he saw #2 crying which helped.  

My mistake was taking for granted that the boys would understand that this was all make believe.  #2 told me later he was scared because he thought it was all real.      

My boys are 6.  There was a 10 year old there who did not want to go on the haunted hay ride.  She stayed with #2 and I while my husband took #1 and the 10 year old's brothers.  No biggie.  There were people there trying to lure the 10 year old to go on it, but I poured her some hot cider and we hung out until the rest came back.

lilyofcourse wrote:

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I hate that picture. I was a kid when I saw that movie and it still bothers me.

 

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 I hate that picture more than you do!

LGS, could you please spoiler it?

flan

lilyofcourse wrote:

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Kids scaring other kids is one thing.

But adults scaring kids is what I have a real problem with.

Like I said, we all love a good BOO and watch the scary movies.

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 Nope, not me. I don't enjoy many of them.

flan

flan327 wrote:

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lilyofcourse wrote:

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Kids scaring other kids is one thing.

But adults scaring kids is what I have a real problem with.

Like I said, we all love a good BOO and watch the scary movies.

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 Nope, not me. I don't enjoy many of them.

flan

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I meant my kids and I.

I was thinkin it! You should have known! Geez.... 

flan327 wrote:

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lilyofcourse wrote:

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I hate that picture. I was a kid when I saw that movie and it still bothers me.

 

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 I hate that picture more than you do!

LGS, could you please spoiler it?

flan

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No maam!  It's a Halloween Thread!  Deal with it! 

Ilumine wrote:

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Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:

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lilyofcourse wrote:

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I have worked in haunted houses. You don't scare kids to the point of tears. That isn't fun, that is being mean.

The one thing that bothers me more than anything is knowing my kids are scared.

Life can throw all kinds of things at you. But I don't think being scared is something you should live with.

Sorry. If someone thinks it is cool to scare a kid to tears, that person has a problem in my book.

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We were kids scaring other kids.  We didn't drag them in there.  They came across the street and paid us a quarter.  We made some money and went uptown to buy pop.  We actually had a really cool basement haunted house with fake vampire blood and peeled grapes for eyes and a bowl of spaghetti for intestines and a strobe light.  Sorry that you didn't actually have any fun as a kid.  Sheesh. 

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 So what you are saying is that YOUR level of comfort with being in the dark, with being startled, with loud noises and with people who do not look human IS not only the acceptable level but that it is the only level to measure FUN?

Outside of the fact that fear and anxiety are genetic or god given physical responses that have been programmed to save our lives.  The whole flight or fight reaction.  Being anxious about things in the dark is GOOD.  Having a heightened response to loud noises or unfamiliar faces/bodies is a biological reaction that would keep someone alive. 

And god forbid that a child is not overcome the various stages of fear in your approved schedule. 

Geesh, how many times have you posted about the left forcing you to accept something that you do not want to, but now it is perfectly ok to disparage a child because they don't like being in the dark or startled?  

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Oh please.  Go fall off your High Horse.  Sheesh.  You can't pull it off. 

JPT wrote:

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I remember when Knott's Berry Farm first started their "Scary Farm" back in the early 80's. We went and took the kids, and mostly they had a great time. The one very scary place did bother our youngest, but the actors toned it way down when it was obvious he was past the "fun" scared, and after we finished, he was actually asking to go again to say hi to the monsters...

I also remember going to a haunted "vineyard" and house out in So. Cal many years back. It was very well done, and at the end there was a hall with lattice and silk greens that we passed through, and when I was startled by something, my glasses fell off and because it was so dark, I yelled "Don't move, I lost my glasses!" Next think I knew, a "disembodied" hand came up through the greenery holding my glasses, and very politely said "Here they are, ma'am!"

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  That is too funny!

Exactly.

Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:

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I mean now kids are traumatized and need therapy. Didn't you people play ghost in the graveyard or try to conjur up spirits with a Ouji board?

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 Nope.

flan

Where did Ilumine say that kids need therapy?

flan

You didn't swim in the creek or dangle off the railroad bridge or shoot each with bb guns to just see how it felt ? Dang.

Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:

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You didn't swim in the creek or dangle off the railroad bridge or shoot each with bb guns to just see how it felt ? Dang.

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 Now you're scaring me!

flan

p.s. I'm guessing being shot with a BB gun would hurt?

And fun doesn't need to come with an adrenaline rush.

flan

I had a pretty dangerous childhood thanks to my own doing. All the way up till I was 20 I was an adrenaline junkie.

If I could climb it, swim it, jump it, drive it, chase it, ride it, shoot it, or just plain old try it I did. I've broken an arm, my tail bone 5 times, my toes, my fingers and thumbs and had stitches, and sprained my ankles every time I turned around. Nearly eviscerated myself once. Had all kinds of fun.

But I did not like being scared to the point of tears.

I never minded the fun being scared. We played hide and seek in the dark, did the bloody mary thing all that stuff.

But there was and is a line.

If a kid wants to do a haunted house, then great. If they don't then that is fine too.

lilyofcourse wrote:

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I had a pretty dangerous childhood thanks to my own doing. All the way up till I was 20 I was an adrenaline junkie.

If I could climb it, swim it, jump it, drive it, chase it, ride it, shoot it, or just plain old try it I did. I've broken an arm, my tail bone 5 times, my toes, my fingers and thumbs and had stitches, and sprained my ankles every time I turned around. Nearly eviscerated myself once. Had all kinds of fun.

But I did not like being scared to the point of tears.

I never minded the fun being scared. We played hide and seek in the dark, did the bloody mary thing all that stuff.

But there was and is a line.

If a kid wants to do a haunted house, then great. If they don't then that is fine too.

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They PAID us to come in.  Hello.    

Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:

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lilyofcourse wrote:

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I had a pretty dangerous childhood thanks to my own doing. All the way up till I was 20 I was an adrenaline junkie.

If I could climb it, swim it, jump it, drive it, chase it, ride it, shoot it, or just plain old try it I did. I've broken an arm, my tail bone 5 times, my toes, my fingers and thumbs and had stitches, and sprained my ankles every time I turned around. Nearly eviscerated myself once. Had all kinds of fun.

But I did not like being scared to the point of tears.

I never minded the fun being scared. We played hide and seek in the dark, did the bloody mary thing all that stuff.

But there was and is a line.

If a kid wants to do a haunted house, then great. If they don't then that is fine too.

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They PAID us to come in.  Hello.    

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See the last line of my post? See it?