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How I became a trick-or-treat drop out

I was dressed like Little Red Riding Hood and literally a "Big Bad Wolf" scared me and I never trick-or-treated again. I was in kindergarten.

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By
Kathy Hanrahan
, WRAL lifestyle editor
RALEIGH, N.C. — I love decorating outdoors for holidays! And the first holiday each year I get to go crazy decorating is Halloween! This year's decorations are minimal, just a spider, a few spiderwebs and ghosts. Next year, we will add more to the mix.

It's kind of funny that I like Halloween now since I was a trick-or-treat drop out at 4 or 5 years old. I remember going for the first time when I was in kindergarten. I was dressed like Little Red Riding Hood. We lived in the same subdivision so we went to see my grandma. My grandma's neighbor was scaring kids by jumping out at them dressed like a werewolf. We avoided him at first, but on our way back down the street he jumped out at me from behind his truck. I screamed. I cried. He took off his mask and I screamed more. Then, I vomited.

I never went trick or treating again. That was it. The next year my mom brought me up to the houses and I refused to go up to the doors. I was afraid that someone would jump out or try to scare me.

That was the beginning of my fear of being startled. I stopped playing hide and go seek too. (I probably should have sent my grandma's neighbor some therapy bills!)

I refused to go to stores with Halloween decorations. I basically became terrified of scary masks.

I'd still dress up for events at school each year, I just didn't trick-or-treat at night in my neighborhood or attend any events that would be scary or have scary costumes.

I had some pretty fun costumes throughout the years. In 5th grade I had nothing to wear and didn't really want to dress up. We ended up using a pair of leggings and a curly red wig to turn me into Peg Bundy from "Married with Children."

Now, I'm still not a fan of scary things. It's gotten better for me over time, but I'm still not going to a haunted house or seeing a scary movie. I did work on conquering my fear of scary costumes by turning myself into a zombie a few years ago.

So it is funny when I did start taking my son trick-or-treating when he was 2 years old or so. I was afraid to ring the doorbell at first! I was remembering being that little kid getting jumped out at. Soon my fears subsided but when I see one of the "scary houses" on the block with the over the top decorations I tend to hang back and let my husband take our son up to the door if he wants to go!

Did anyone ever scare you on Halloween or any other time in your life? How do your children react to the scary house on the block? Are you a haunted house person?

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