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Does your school have a policy on Halloween costumes?

Categories: Holidays

school Halloween partyLast year, when my then four-year-old decided to be a scary witch for Halloween, I said, "Right on." We love Halloween at our house, and she was getting right into the spirit. We weren't surprised, however, to hear that though her parochial preschool would be having a costume party, scary or occult-type costumes wouldn't be allowed.

We planned early on to put her in the previous year's pirate costume instead. Problem solved, until a teacher's assistant, who asked her what she was going to be for Halloween, told her in no uncertain terms that she would not be allowed to come to the party as a witch. I didn't disagree with the rule, but it bothered me that she was made to feel bad about her choice of costume outside of school.

What made it worse was that when we finally attended the party, it was decorated completely in traditional Halloween decor -- witches, monsters, and all. She was confused, and I didn't have a good answer for her.

Fast forward to this year, different school, same rule. This year, she wants to be a bat. I think that we should just put her back into the pirate costume or a princess dress for school and not even deal with it. My husband, on the other hand, says bats are just a part of nature and aren't "scary." (He's obviously didn't notice my reaction when one flew out of our chimney last year.)

The thing is, I think the policy is a good one. There are some really gruesome costumes out there, many of which aren't appropriate for a school setting, and plenty that would scare the smaller children in the building. And the fact that they have a costume party at all sets them apart from most of the schools in our area. Still, I never knew Halloween would cause me so much angst.

What about you? Does your child's school throw a Halloween party? What's their policy on Halloween costumes?

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