Fall Is Fun … for Kids!

Do you remember how much fun fall was when you were a kid? You got to jump in the leaves, go to the pumpkin patch, dress up for Halloween and bake fall-themed treats. Or, at least, that’s what I did and I loved it. Little did I know that it actually meant quite a bit of extra chores and work for my parents.

My daughter (and my little guy to a certain extent) is now old enough to enjoy all of these same activities. Fall is so much fun for kids! For parents, though, maybe not so much.

Three days ago, my daughter spent the evening running through the house and jumping from the steps to “fly,” dressed in her dragon Halloween costume. Her grandmother had spent the entire day sewing it for her while I had hunted down and purchased the appropriate dragon hat.

Two days ago, my daughter went to the pumpkin patch, picked out a pumpkin and designed the face. Her grandfather put the elbow grease into carving it; I cleaned up the tools and inner goop from the pumpkin carving.

Yesterday, my daughter jumped and played in a huge leaf pile in the yard. Her dad, grandmother and I spent hours raking leaves into that pile, swatting gnats from our faces while we were at it.

Last night, my daughter made pumpkin shaped cookies with her grandmother. I washed the measuring cups and spoons, mixing bowls and baking sheets, wiped down the counters and dutifully put away the cookies once they had cooled.

It turns out that fall activities create quite a bit of extra work for parents (and grandparents too, apparently). At the end of it all, though, hearing the squeals of laughter upon landing in a whorl of leaves, snacking side-by-side on pumpkin shaped cookies, and seeing the look of utter delight when the pumpkin is lit, made me realize that the work is all worth it.

Last night when we lit the candle in the pumpkin at dusk and stood in the yard admiring it, my daughter said, in a hushed voice, “Oh, Mom, it’s awesome!” And, yes, extra chores and all, it really is.