The picture of my “Vampire Weekend†above was taken on Halloween probably 16 years ago. The two little bloodsuckers with me in the photo are now 20 and 18 years old. Time flies when you are having fun, and we were definitely having fun! Halloween may be a scary time, but I think that as a parent you should never be scared of acting silly in front of your kids. On the contrary, I believe you should act silly in front of them at every opportunity you have, because those are the things they will remember forever… those are the memories that will last.
GOOFY IS NOT JUST A DISNEY CHARACTER
Did it make me feel goofy to to don my tuxedo and wear more make-up than Tammy Fay Baker? Absolutely. Did it ensure that my sons had “the best Halloween evahâ€Â? Absolutely, and that made all my potential embarrassment worth every look, stare and giggle from the mere mortals in the neighborhood. As parents, your kids give you the unalienable right to do anything and everything in your power to make them happy, and that includes dressing up in costumes, singing out of key, making funny faces, dancing when you have less rhythm than a slug in quicksand, standing on your head, sticking out your tongue, speaking in tongues, belching, farting (only after they pull your finger, of course), and anything else you can think of that is guaranteed to make them smile. Doing silly things for your kids lets them know that the most important thing is them, and the world you share together. You don’t care what anyone else thinks if your kid smiles and laughs.
THE TRICK IS THE TREAT!
The joy you see on your child’s face when you do something silly just for them is one of my favorite treats of parenthood (and trust me, I’ve done some awfully silly things in my day… but hey, that’s how I roll…) The special bond between dad and child transcends all rules of decorum and leaves an open exception for all things silly. I believe as parents, it is our duty to occasionally say “doody” if that’s what it takes to get a laugh. To this day, I know that if you were to ask my kids to name some of the “highlights” of their childhood some of my sillier moments would definitely make the top 10 (especially the time I trudged screaming through knee deep snow in nothing but my boxer briefs from our front door to the mailbox and back, on a day we were all snowed in from work and school – they laughed to tears watching me face frostbite just to entertain them).
How about you? Do you agree that silliness reigns supreme? Are you dressing up with your kids for Halloween? Do you do silly things just to get a heartfelt and heartwarming smile? Come on, share some of your silliest moments in the comments!
Jeff Sass is the proud dad of ZEO (Zach, 20, Ethan, 18 and Olivia, 17). He is also a seasoned entertainment and technology exec and active social media enthusiast. You can see more of Jeff’s writing at Sassholes! and Social Networking Rehab.
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Yikes! That photo creeps me out, reminds me of one of Holly Lisle’s early novels, Hunting the Corrigan’s Blood, which I just read recently. But the little ones do look like they’re having a great time.
Cheers– Er, I mean…
Bluh…
-TimK
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Yikes! That photo creeps me out, reminds me of one of Holly Lisle’s early novels, Hunting the Corrigan’s Blood, which I just read recently. But the little ones do look like they’re having a great time.
Cheers– Er, I mean…
Bluh…
-TimK
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Tim, I “vant” to thank you for your comment. Bluh, bluh, bluh. Yes we had fun then, and are still having fun now, but with less make-up! Have a great Halloween!
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Tim, I “vant” to thank you for your comment. Bluh, bluh, bluh. Yes we had fun then, and are still having fun now, but with less make-up! Have a great Halloween!
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Halloween is probably my favorite holiday.
1. No weird relatives.
2. No big-deal meal.
3. It’s ALL about the kids!
4. Even if you hate it, it’s over in 2 hours.
Nice post, as always, Sass!
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Halloween is probably my favorite holiday.
1. No weird relatives.
2. No big-deal meal.
3. It’s ALL about the kids!
4. Even if you hate it, it’s over in 2 hours.
Nice post, as always, Sass!
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National Geographic Channel Australia buys local programming for both the international channel network, and has a separate budget for Australian programming that will screen only in Australia. Internationally, National Geographic has four major ‘tent-pole’ programming events every year, often conducted with a partner.One such disney acting auditions event is the Volvo Ocean Race, which starts in September and runs through to March. The channel will have cameras on each boat and trace each contestant on its Web site.“We are not covering the race live, but we will look at the challenge of the race through National Geographic’s eyes, and make that into half hour docos,†Coulston adds.
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National Geographic Channel Australia buys local programming for both the international channel network, and has a separate budget for Australian programming that will screen only in Australia. Internationally, National Geographic has four major ‘tent-pole’ programming events every year, often conducted with a partner.One such disney acting auditions event is the Volvo Ocean Race, which starts in September and runs through to March. The channel will have cameras on each boat and trace each contestant on its Web site.“We are not covering the race live, but we will look at the challenge of the race through National Geographic’s eyes, and make that into half hour docos,†Coulston adds.
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National Geographic Channel Australia buys local programming for both the international channel network, and has a separate budget for Australian programming that will screen only in Australia. Internationally, National Geographic has four major ‘tent-pole’ programming events every year, often conducted with a partner.One such disney acting auditions event is the Volvo Ocean Race, which starts in September and runs through to March. The channel will have cameras on each boat and trace each contestant on its Web site.“We are not covering the race live, but we will look at the challenge of the race through National Geographic’s eyes, and make that into half hour docos,†Coulston adds.
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National Geographic Channel Australia buys local programming for both the international channel network, and has a separate budget for Australian programming that will screen only in Australia. Internationally, National Geographic has four major ‘tent-pole’ programming events every year, often conducted with a partner.One such disney acting auditions event is the Volvo Ocean Race, which starts in September and runs through to March. The channel will have cameras on each boat and trace each contestant on its Web site.“We are not covering the race live, but we will look at the challenge of the race through National Geographic’s eyes, and make that into half hour docos,†Coulston adds.
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National Geographic Channel Australia buys local programming for both the international channel network, and has a separate budget for Australian programming that will screen only in Australia. Internationally, National Geographic has four major ‘tent-pole’ programming events every year, often conducted with a partner.One such disney acting auditions event is the Volvo Ocean Race, which starts in September and runs through to March. The channel will have cameras on each boat and trace each contestant on its Web site.“We are not covering the race live, but we will look at the challenge of the race through National Geographic’s eyes, and make that into half hour docos,†Coulston adds.
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