I love holidays and Halloween is definitely one of my favorites. I love dressing up. I enjoy seeing all of the cute little costumes lining the streets Halloween evening for trick or treating. And who doesn’t love watching “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.” Trick or treating became truly “tricky” for me when my oldest daughter began to participate in the tradition. She has a nut allergy and it would break her heart when we had to give away all of the candy that contained nuts or could have possibly come in contact with nuts. Oddly enough she didn’t want to eat them – but she hated that those discarded candies took away from her overall candy count! Go figure!
As a result of my personal experience, I am more aware. I only buy nut-free treats. Halloween can be difficult for families with children who have special needs. Whether it is food allergies, sensory processing disorders, motor planning difficulties, or Autism Spectrum Disorders we should all remember that the goal is to make Halloween fun for all. This image has been shared many times on various sites and blogs but it deserves to be shared and reposted again and again. As we prepare for this weekend, let’s try to be patient, be kind, be inclusive, and most importantly have a safe and Happy Halloween!