Enjoy each season and be grateful for changes

by Dr. Heather Bozant Witcher

By Dr. Heather Bozant Witcher
Clarion Herald

Spooky season is upon us, and my children are over the moon. Each morning as we make our way to school, their faces are seemingly glued to the windows, monitoring the neighborhood for new decorations.

October has always been one of my favorite months. It’s the start of fall – a wonderful reprieve from the heat of summer. While this year I’m still waiting for those cooler temperatures, I’ve been enjoying the fall activities. Pumpkin patches, corn mazes, fairgrounds, caramel apples, funnel cakes. Each weekend, our calendar seems booked by another reminder that fall fun is here.

This year all three kids are old enough to really participate. In the past, I’ve trekked through pumpkin patches and corn mazes with our youngest on my hip. Despite the unevenness of the ground, this year, he’s on the loose, hoping to keep up with his brothers. In the patch itself, he was keen to pick the largest pumpkin and kept looking around at his brothers to make sure his was going to be bigger than theirs. Competition is in our future. (And take a guess on who had to haul not one big pumpkin, but two!)

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of Halloween season, though, is the costuming. My children have been planning their ideas for months now. My youngest was adamant: a spider, his favorite bug. It’s an easy costume because he was also a spider last year…and the costume still fits. A mom win.

The twins, however, had more complex plans. One is always a bit more indecisive than the other, so we discuss at length what he wants to be and make sure that the decision sticks for a few days before buying the costume. Last year, he was an ice cream truck. This year, we went from Grogu to a taco truck to an astronaut. That’s where we settled, and as we tried on his costume, the biggest smile lit up his face. Learning about space, therefore, has been a large part of our evenings this month.

My oldest had his heart set on being a T-Rex since as early as June. He runs around the house with his arms close to his chest, two fingers out for claws – a Pipasaurus Rex. So, when we went to get his costume, we knew what we were looking for. His disappointment was intense, though, as he realized that all of the costumes were seemingly anatomically incorrect. They have three claws instead of two. We’re still unsure how to fix this situation.

Each season brings its festivities, but Fall is perhaps the best because it’s the first harbinger of change. And with each season, I’m reminded of how quickly time passes as I remember what the last year held. But this year, I’m enjoying the excitement and curiosity of my children, taking in each part of the season with the same joy and enthusiasm that they have.

hbozantwitcher@clarionherald.org