Trick or Treat

We spent the traditional North American holiday - teaching our children how to panhandle for candy.

Unlike my mother - that took all but my favorite five pieces of candy and gave them to a charity,

unlike a colleague - that has the "Halloween sprite" take the candy and replace it with toys...

my children get to eat their candy.

That said, they don't do so all on the 31st. Z thought we did... he said "what do we do next?"

I said that we would go home and eat candy.

"All of it???!"

"Um, no."

We trick or treated at the college, in the freshmen dorms. It is always fun. It was especially fun taking Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter there as these college kids grew up with the Potter series.

And, it is always fun to see my students dressed up, even though sometimes I feel like I need to cover my eyes (they still seem to think that Halloween is an excuse to be slinky and sexy - wherever you are). Of course, it seems like the costume industry has the same impression of everyone (even pre-teens).

The one big benefit? I have great leverage to get the big guy to start his homework. Unlike the usual two hours of pleading for him to start five minutes of work, I just told him...

"I'm really hungry... really hungry... I'd love to have your chocolate... every minute you delay - I'll eat one piece."

He was done in an instant.