Spooky Halloween Decorations: Outside = Good :) Inside = Bad :(

This is the first Halloween that Austin has really understood and talked at great lengths about this holiday.  Last year he came down with H1N1, so he was unable to go Trick or Treating, this did not phase him in the slightest.  Kaleigh went house to house with her Daddy collecting candy for Austin.  I thought it was a little strange at the time that he was not really upset, but I just figured, well "it must be because of the flu".  How wrong was I?  Very ...

This year is quite different.  Poor Austin is reactive and really understands Halloween now (good, he really gets it but bad, he really gets it, you know?).  Shopping for Halloween decorations a few weeks back, he froze and got scared.  A small aisle and all that spooky stuff, he was upset.  I had to hug him and help him cover his eyes so we could get to a "safe zone".  Lastnight I had to go back to the store to get more decorations for today.  (I wanted to surprise him when he got home from school, mission accomplished, just not in the way I was hoping for.)  He asked me to take him to the store to help pick out decorations, absolutely not!  Not after the last time ... he was so upset, I didn't want to put him through that again.  (We have some decorations in the house already and he likes them, so I just figured he was overwhelmed by too much all at once in the store.)  So I went alone.  He was okay about me leaving him behind ... eventually.

Today, I spent my morning decorating outside and inside the house.  It looked great!  (If I do say so myself.)  Anyway, we pulled into the driveway (home from school) and Austin LOVED it!  I was so happy!  Not only was he surprised but excited and happy!  I had the same decorations inside as I did outside.  Not too spooky, so I thought.  These decorations in the house had a terrible effect!  TERRIBLE!  Austin took one look and said "I don't think this is good inside" (something like that).  He proceeded to scream and cry out "take it away, take it down!!! ... put it outside!".  I tried to get them down but he kept looking at them and was very, very scared.  I got him into the other room and took them off the walls and into the garbage they went ... WOW!  I was not expecting that reaction.  I thought if he found it too much in the house (because of the store incident), he would tell me he didn't like it and I would just take them down.  (Kaleigh LOVED the decorations by the way ... sigh ...)  I guess I should have known better ... I feel terrible that he got so upset.  Poor Austin.  He calmed down and I gave him a cuddle and told him I was very sorry that he got upset, I only did it to surprise him not scare him.  (There are some other decorations still up ... toddler friendly ones, no monsters!)

Lesson learned, outside decorations to Austin are AWESOME!  The same ones inside are TERRIFYING!  I hope this Mommie Guilt subsides soon!  *HUGS* to all and have a HAPPY HALLOWEEN!