The Sound of Scary

As Halloween appraoched the girls picked their costumes, and we decorated the house with spider webs and pre-school pumpkin creations that we have collected over the years. Bridget brought her own creations home from pre-school to add to our decor. Bridge was excited to show us her version of the time tested pre-k projects. Bridget also learned songs to prepare for their Halloween program but these caused a mixed reaction. Some songs she hummed and grinned about. I asked her about the songs and she told me it was a surprise. Then there was the Spooky Walk. Bridget was frightened just talking about it and cried that she didn't want to go to school anymore. I let the teachers know about her fears.

On Halloween I brought Bridget, in her Princess Tiana dress, to school and waited with the parents for the program to begin. Bridget and all of her classmates paraded around and sang cute songs. Then they got in a circle and Bridget declared "I'm going to sit in the chairs and plug my ears". Then she walked with her fingers in her ears and sat in the back row of chairs with the parents. The teachers must have discussed this plan with her if she got too scared, because they did not seem surprised. The class started the spooky walk, which is a Halloween version of "we are going on a bear hunt" full of spooky sounds. As the story on the record player started Bridget got up again and with her fingers in her ears went to the back wall of the room and ducked under a table. There she sat with her fingers in her ears blocking out the sounds of creaking floors and cackling witches and everything else around her. When it was over she rejoined the class and happily finished the program.

She is relieved that they are done with the Spooky Walk and I am proud she found a way to keep herself safe from the fear.