Of Halloweens long ago

[fbhjr]

At work today they had a Halloween event where folks can bring in their kids and have a Halloween party. People put candy outside their offices and the parents bring the kids around trick or treating in the office. Everyone wants to show off their kids.

Sadly, for me it brings back bad memories.

When I was in first grade (the fall of 1969 if that matters) I had wanted a robot costume to wear at Halloween.
For reasons I don’t remember, my mother ended up making me one. (Normally she just bought ones at the store, and I don’t remember why this wasn’t the case then.)

The costume was a pair of boxes. One on strings went over my body with the strings on my shoulders. One went over my head and sat on my shoulders.
My mother had covered it with aluminum foil and glued on all sorts of decorations and such.
I had been very excited about it in the month leading up to Halloween.

That autumn, like the one this year, had been warmer than normal. So warm that the weekend before Halloween, my mother brought us to the beach. The water was cold and we didn’t go in, but we had fun running around at the water’s edge.

And, because of that, I got a massive sunburn on my back and shoulders. Bad enough to raise blisters even before the skin stared peeling.

The costume I had looked forward to now caused me to scream in pain if the strings or head piece were lowered onto my shoulders.
I refused to wear the costume as it caused me too much pain.
My mother told me that she was neither going to make or buy another costume, so if I wanted to go out trick or treating and get candy, I had to wear it.

The string and the edge of the box rubbed right where I had the blisters on my shoulders. Even through my shirt to have those things rubbing back and forth was awful pain.
Ten days short of turning 6, I agreed to give up trick or treating and the candy to get out of that pain.

“No, you’re going,” my mother told me. “I worked too hard on that costume for you not to go.”
There were certain neighbors she had told of making the costume, and I was required to go to those houses so they could see it.
I refused.

My mother’s logic was that I received the sunburn 5 days before, and had not complained of it being that painful through the week I went to school. I had complained it hurt, but not to the level that would prevent me from wearing it for a short time that evening.

I explained that my shirt at school did not rub right on the blisters and that the costume did, causing far more pain than I had experienced during the week.
My mother rejected this explanation and spanked me until I changed my mind.
As there was a fair bit of pain to be balanced in this equation it took her a while and she resorted to mechanical assistance.
While the equation was balancing, it was explained to me how ungrateful I was, how much work had been put into the costume and the need to be obedient.

Eventually I went. She led me to a few houses to show me off. She had me keep the top piece on so no one would see my crying.

When we got home I destroyed the costume in front of her.
I might have only been 5, but it was only cardboard and aluminum foil.

I’m sure this “behavior problem” on my part led to my being put on Ritalin soon after.
But, that’s another story: http://www.fbhjr.livejournal.com/668102.html

Comments

[brickhousewench]

I'm so sorry for five-almost-six year old you. That is straight up child abuse.