How do you and your children feel about Halloween?

How do you and your children feel about Halloween? Enjoy these Halloween reminders if your kids are scared of Halloween.

For me, Halloween tops my list of least favorite American holidays

Being scared and candy just aren’t my things.

But I do love Fall crafting!

You can get my Fall Crafting guide here.

I love the creativity and the magic of being out at night on Halloween.

I have reverence for this time of year, and especially for Dias de los Muertos.

And guess what?

My son LOVES Halloween.

A lot of what I don’t love about Halloween stems from being a highly sensitive child in the 80’s.

And from growing up in a living horror: a home with child abuse.

For me, being scared has never been fun.

So, I was happy when I could be a voice for other highly sensitive children, children who have experienced trauma, and young children who also might be scared of Halloween.

Click the image below or keep reading for my thoughts on when Halloween is scary for children.

Halloween Season Can Indeed Be Scary

The TikTok court of opinion aside, let’s just acknowledge that Halloween can indeed be scarier for some children than for others. As a young child, positive parenting coach and family transition specialist Megan Barella found the annual tradition frightening herself.

“I was one of those children who was scared of Halloween,” says Barella, creator of Happy Home Coaching. “Even to this day, I’ve never seen a horror movie.”

Now, as a parenting coach, Barella helps to normalize this feeling of fear surrounding Halloween and other scary events and advocate for children’s best interests. She says for children under age 7, and for children of any age who are highly sensitive, the Halloween season simply might not be fun.

If your child falls into this camp, there’s no need to force them to participate in Halloween-related activities, including trick-or-treating.

“Celebrating Halloween, including trick-or-treating, are purely optional and non-essential childhood activities,” continues Barella. “I am definitely in the minority in this opinion as almost 70% of American consumers participate in Halloween. But, I promise you, your children can have a happy childhood without participating in Halloween activities.”

Click here to keep reading my top tips – and the tips from other parenting experts – to support children who might be scared during the Halloween season.

Here’s to enjoying the season for all children.