The childhood innocence of Halloween is over
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If you’ll indulge me, I’ve decided to turn my attention to something entirely different for this week’s column. It’s a non-political issue that’s been on my mind for several days. It’s also something that many people will immediately understand – and, in some cases, may wax nostalgic and think about the loss of childhood innocence.
I took my son out for Halloween for the last time.
It’s a bittersweet moment. I always knew it was getting closer with each passing year, and I tried to avoid thinking about it. Like all good things, it had to come to an end.
I remember taking out Andrew for his first Halloween with my wife when we still lived in Ottawa. The weather was typical of the majority of my trick-or-treat adventures – cold and windy. No rain or snow that day in the nation’s capital. It was below freezing, which ensured that the excursion with our little pumpkin would be a short one.
When we moved back to Toronto the following year, I took over sole responsibility for the Halloween walks around the neighbourhood. It was a passing of the torch in certain ways. My father took me and my sister out most years, although my late mother did come along once or twice. It wasn’t a big deal for my wife, who has never enjoyed the cold weather. If I wanted to do it alone, she was perfectly fine with this!
And so, I did.
Some additional context is also required here. Andrew, as I’ve infrequently discussed before, is on the autism spectrum. The chances of him doing what I did when I got older – going out with friends on Halloween to brave the nasty weather and get as much candy as humanly possible – weren’t in the cards. Our Halloween adventures would always be something that we shared. While that’s unfortunate from a developmental standpoint, it enabled my experience to go on much longer than most parents.
Our Halloween walks often had some precipitation. The night temperatures were usually quite low. It came close to going below freezing in both 2010 and 2023. In fact, there was only one Halloween where that actually happened. It was in 2020 – the year that our family, like most others, chose not to go out or give out candy due to COVID-19.
This year was astonishing. The temperature in Toronto, like other parts of Ontario, had some of the hottest weather on record for Halloween. It averaged 20.3 degrees the entire time we were out. I was wearing a short-sleeved shirt for the entire excursion (which isn’t unusual for me in the fall) and sweating profusely (which is unusual). My son had started off with a jacket over his costume but asked to take it off early. Couldn’t blame him.
Andrew was dressed as a pirate for Halloween. He’s worn this costume for a couple of seasons and enjoys it. He really likes the pirate hat, head scarf, belt and vest combination. My wife had hoped that he would choose something else this year. That conversation didn’t go particularly well!
I watched him go from door to door. Up and down countless numbers of stairs. Ring many doorbells, or knock a few times and wait patiently.
My parental duties at Halloween have been more secondary in recent years. That’s a good thing. As he continues to use his expanding vocabulary and build his confidence, it will help him in the future. He knows what to do and handles himself properly. He was much larger than most of the kids but didn’t make any of them feel nervous or uncomfortable.
It’s also allowed me to reflect on the times I helped him from house to house. Carrying his bag of candy when it got heavy – and carrying him when he got tired. Many kisses, hugs, laughs and pats on the head for good work. The various costumes he’s worn, including Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story to a rocket ship that my wife lovingly built from scratch. The words of praise from parents and children who happened to like what he was wearing that evening.
As we made the final turn for home, I knew I would never do this again. The happy little child scampering around the neighbourhood had grown into a happy teenager doing the same thing. Within a blink of an eye (or so it felt), he got his treat at the last house on our usual route. The childhood innocence of Halloween was over.
Our story isn’t finished, by any means. I’ll still decorate the front lawn with tombstones, frightening creatures and more. We’ll hand out candy every year for Halloween. Andrew will help us, and he’ll get his own treats to enjoy.
Will my son always remember the fun we had going out together at Halloween? I hope so. I will always remember it fondly, and treasure the memories of our walks in the crisp fall air among the “scary” ghosts, monsters and things that go bump in the night.
Michael Taube is a political commentator, Troy Media syndicated columnist and former speechwriter for Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He holds a master’s degree in comparative politics from the London School of Economics, lending academic rigour to his political insights.
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