Two Ice Princesses, one Shark Boy, and one sword-wielding elf were ready to go. We’d weathered the Lighting of the Pumpkins and the ceremony of You Must Eat Dinner First. There was a minor conflict right at departure time because the sword was being wielded a little too enthusiastically and I wanted to leave it home. Patches felt he would be devastated without his sword, so I consented to let it come along although I knew full well that I’d be carrying it for him only two houses down the road. In fact I was pretty sure I’d end up carrying Patches too. Hmm… I made all the kids pause while I went back for the stroller.
Sure enough, as soon as Patches had his first trick-or-treat candy in hand, he opened it and began to consume. Since candy consumption slowed his walking pace to a near stop, I picked him up and plunked him in the stroller. I declined to push the stroller up the walkways, I’d stay on the sidewalk and let the kids run up to the houses. Patches didn’t mind not going to the doors. He was quite content to sit in the stroller like a maharaja and allow Kiki to bring candy to deposit into his bucket. In an attempt to get Patches to participate more fully in the experience, Kiki made him say “trick or treat” before she’d deliver the candy. He happily complied and the first obstacle to the evening’s enjoyment was easily overcome.
Gleek provided the next excitment by tripping over her long skirt in a mad dash to the next house. Gleek fell and scraped her arm. Her candy scattered across the sidewalk. She was far more upset over the potential loss of candy than the scrape, so once her treasure was safely redeposited in her bucket we went onwards cheerfully and a little more carefully. The incident made me realize that Gleek needed to slow down and not try to keep up with the bigger kids. Fortunately we had teamed up with Link’s friend. His mom volunteered to shepherd the older kids while I took a slower and more abrieviated route with Gleek & Patches.
Everyone was happy with this solution. Then a few houses later Patches realized that candy had stopped arriving in his bucket. At the next house when Gleek rang the bell and politely said “twick or tweat”, Patches hollered as loud as he could “I WANT SOME!” The kind people in the houses heard him and obligingly sent him candy via Gleek. It only took a couple of houses and a couple of hollered “I want somes!” before Gleek was trained to ask for a candy for her little brother. Now maharaja Patches got his candy delivered and he didn’t even have to say “trick or treat.” Life was good.
One advantage of shepherding young children is that their legs tire quickly. Older kids want to maximize candy accumulation, but the littler ones walk on thier tired legs and start thinking how nice it would be to sit in a warm place where they could eat the candy that is Right There In The Bucket. Gleek felt it was really important to trick or treat at our backyard neighbor’s house, so we did that and then cut through the back yard to be at home.