| Every year in October Lola begins to have some generalized anxiety. Around Halloween it attaches itself to the thing of Halloween: the spooks, haunted houses, bloody faces, things that go boo in the dark. Every year we dutifully take her to her Boogie Bash as school, and every year she trembles and quakes and can't make herself enter the Haunted House. A few days later, Ever year on Hallows Eve, she cries and says she's not doing it. Not trick or treating. Not going! And every year we listen and nod as we help her into her costume, cajole and get stern, love and reassure. And every year she gets better at understanding anxiety as a creature outside of herself. Not who she is or what she thinks, just a thing that happens to her that she has to work with and around. And this year she did the best of all, marching happily and proudly around our extremely busy and decorated blocks, with people around fires in front of home and bright orange and purple lights and spooks and decor. It was awesome. I am so proud of my girl. |
