I recently read an article about how Target has launched a line of Halloween costumes for kids with physical disabilities and it made me think of what Halloween was like for me as a kid.
For the most part, Halloween wasn't much different for me than other kids. I went trick-or-treating every year until I was about 11 or 12 years-old with my Dad, who was always in charge of taking me. I wasn't one of those kids who demanded to have a different costume every year (I was more interested in getting candy), so I was a pumpkin or clown more times than I can count. Back in the 80s and early 90s, I remember several Halloween nights being quite cold and some years we even had snow on the ground where we lived, so of course I had those parents who dressed me like a stuffed sausage with a jacket over my costume.
As you can probably imagine, trick-or-treating was a bit of an ordeal for me. On top of dealing with the aforementioned snow, there were also accessibility issues. Most houses had steps at the entrances, so my Dad had to ring doorbells for me, which led to a bit of awkwardness until they noticed me in my wheelchair. Despite this, my Dad always made it work.
One of my most memorable Halloweens was when I had a Halloween party at my house in the 5th grade. My friend Angela and I decided we wanted to throw a party, so I begged my Mom to let me have one in our basement. For whatever reason there ended up being close to ten girls and only one boy at this party. I'm a little fuzzy on the details, but basically my girlfriends and I ganged up on this poor boy and he ended up leaving early.
By around the 8th grade, I grew tired of putting on a costume and fighting the chilly weather, so I became the official Halloween candy dealer in my family. As an adult, other than the few times I dressed up for my sister's pirate-themed Halloween parties, I still feel like putting on a costume is a bit of a hassle. I would much rather check out other people's costumes and stuff my face with candy.
