Friday, October 3, 2008

Kids Halloween Costumes That Will Scare the Pants off You

By Susan West

The air gets crisp and the leaves turn color. Its fall! And every little kid anxiously anticipates the eve of the greatest candy haul of the year, Halloween! Yes, actually "Trick or Treating" is fun. But, the preparation is just as, if not more enjoyable. This is the time of year where kids are really allowed to be kids. Let your little one choose their kid's Halloween costume. It's the one night of the year where they can feel grown-up while acting very much like a kid.

Let's face it; life could get a bit hairy if Jr. or little Suzy was allowed to dress themselves every day. It takes practice to understand that "pants ARE important," or "one-armed monsters are not allowed at the dinner table." But on Halloween . . . a kid can truly be a kid. This does not mean that a kids Halloween costumes need to be obscene. There are many children's Halloween costumes that are "just scary enough." Just the option of choosing their very own costume will be exciting to Johnny or Suzy.

Children love make-believe and dress-up. What better time to enjoy this than at Halloween? Even though some have misgivings about the holiday, celebrate it for what it is; a time to pretend. If your child's Halloween costume choice is Count Dracula don't worry. Ignoring the notion of monsters or ghosts does not do your child any favors. Teach them that it's ok to face a monster. That monster could be either a kids Halloween costume or a personal fear. Addressing a fear is one thing, and celebrating it is another. It's widely debated whether participating with Halloween costumes is considered "celebrating." That decision is up to you. Regardless of your position, you have to admit that dress up is fun for children and that is exactly the purpose of a childs Halloween costume.

These days, popular movies like Star Wars and Pirates of the Caribbean are spawning a new industry derived of creating costumes from those movies. You can even accessorize creatively by getting a sibling to come along as another of the characters (or, in the case of Pirates of the Caribbean, even as a parrot). Need to have a mate walk the plank? Mom or dad, go ahead and toil along behind Junior, the captain, on a rope as the prisoner just for the evening. Then your roles can go back to the ordinary and everyday parent-child setup right after the festivities are over.

Many towns no longer participate in trick-or-treat for their children, in large part because of safety concerns, what with child abductions and the like making news every day. In these cases, festivities have often simply moved indoors, where costumes can still be outrageous and you can have fun, even if you can't go door-to-door.

Whatever your budget, you should be able to find or create something suitable for your child. You don't need to break your bank to make your son or daughter a Halloween costume. An old white shirt of yours tied at the waist with a jaunty red sash, accessorized with some black leggings and some inexpensive tall boots, plus some skillfully applied makeup with an eye patch, makes a perfect pirate costume. Of course, you can also find ready-made costumes in every dollar range online, should you not want to make something yourself.

Using a lot of creativity to bring forth your child's most ghoulish desire might take a little research. Childs Halloween costumes no longer come from the discount store. Searching out excessively creative Kids Halloween costumes online makes a perfect family project. However, you should start this project at least a month before the big day. Children tend to change their mind a lot, but having the perfect kids Halloween costume ready for the big night makes a parent a superhero, even after they take off their costume. Edited by Glinda Zuladra - 15266

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