A Halloweeny Kind of Family Fitness

Halloween was no small affair when I was a kid. It's not that we got tons of candy--it was pretty much the opposite actually. But we lived in a relatively rural area so we had to cover a couple of miles to hit the less than ten houses in our neighborhood. Calorically speaking, we earned our candy.

This year, while out with my girls on Halloween night, a young Cinderella joined us for part of trick or treating. She was just a year older than Cady (who is now in third grade), and asked if she could walk with us while her mom followed along in their car on the street. I saw other families doing the same thing, so I'm guessing this might not be as odd a practice as I'd like to think. Fitness is probably not on the top of the priority list at home. They likely don't realize that by not walking with their kids they are making a very clear statement about what is not important in life. As we parted ways and her mom said thanks, I thought about the mommy-daughter time she was missing out on, hoped she was hiding a broken ankle in the darkness of her car.

The girls and I managed to hoof it six blocks (three out and three back). Not a bad distance to cover for a four-year-old, probably a pretty good jaunt for an eight-year-old at the tail end of a busy weekend, too. Sure, I ended up carrying Maggie the last block and a half, but it was time well-spent--outside, together, and getting a little exercise. The candy hasn't turned out to be all that important to the girls; they keep talking about the houses, the costumes, and the long walk in the dark. And of course, they're already talking about next year, too. What should I be? Will you dress up next year? and, Will you come with us again? Not so sure on dressing up, but I will definitely be out there.  I'll join them for as long as they'll let me.