How the Mommy Witch Stole Halloween

What kind of mom am I that shops for costumes online? And who always has to pay extra shipping to get them in time? And what kind of mom tries to control what her kids wear? Don't I know before the photo opp the costumes will just tear?
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I thank Dr. Seuss and my children for inspiring this piece!

Every boy in OrangeRhino-ville liked Halloween a lot...
but their Mommy, a witch in October, did NOT!
Oh, their mommy hated Halloween! The whole Halloween season!
From the first costume catalog received to the last candy eaten!

She kept her boys from having any Halloween fun,
no she didn't let them put up any decorations, not even one!
Please, mommy, a spider, a tombstone or maybe a ghost?
No, she replied, how about pretty mums, at the most?

The kids tried to cheer her, encourage her, get her in the mood,
but sadly, nothing seemed to change her oh-so-grinchy attitude.
Not even a "mommy, be an Orange Rhino, that'd be the coolest costume ever seen!"
could stop her from being hell-bent on stealing the spirit of Halloween.

The mommy Witch usually had a big heart and loved all holidays,
but Halloween, no, that one simply filled her with dismay.
Was it the constant fighting over the catalogs to decide who to be,
or the constant "please can I be this super violent, totally tacky, ugly person, mommy?"

She liked to blame the time of the year for all her disdain,
claiming four birthday parties back-to-back drove her insane.
No more planning, extra excitement or meltdowns galore,
No! I just need a break from extras, I can't handle any more!

Adding to her misery was the one thing she didn't know,
how to create a costume from scratch and then sew!
Her mother had made the best costumes on earth,
and now having to buy them only made this Witch question her worth!

What kind of mom am I that shops for costumes online?
And who always has to pay extra shipping to get them in time?
And what kind of mom tries to control what her kids wear?
Don't I know before the photo opp the costumes will just tear?

Yes, this mommy Witch in OrangeRhino-ville was laden with all sorts of stress,
because even though her boys cared, she could care LESS.
As hard as she tried she couldn't make Halloween hide,
so she was stuck, b*tching and moaning, as she went along for the ride.

To ease her suffering she tried to make them all dress in a theme,
but no, they were getting too old, they certainly didn't want to look like a team!
Her visions of cuteness she simply had to let go,
it was time to accept that her boys were truly starting to grow.

Ah, the guilt, the fights, the silliness, the stress that came with Halloween,
they made this witch from OrangeRhino-ville mean, mean, mean!
Then one day she flew on her broomstick into Party City
where she saw a young boy and immediately took pity.

He was in a pile of tears on the floor, Star Wars costume clutched in his hand.
"NO you can't be that!" the Witch heard the mom demand.
"But Mommy I love it, I don't care if there is no laser!"
"I don't like it, it's tacky" I said no way-ser!

Oh that is me, such an ugly, horrible site!
Thought the mommy Witch to herself as she shut her eyes tight.
A tear or two, or maybe even three, dripped down her face
as her heart filled with nothing but disgrace.

She tried to run, but heard another discouraging chat,
"No you can't be a ninja, I simply don't like that!"
"But mommy, it's my costume, my turn to choose who I want to be,
You can't always control me, let me be ME!"

The words stung for they were so incredibly true,
and at that moment the Witch knew just what to do.
She flew to the clerk and asked for three costumes to take:
a dragon, a transformer, and a pirate named Jake.

Tacky costumes in hand, she flew to the next aisle,
and grabbed decorations she knew would make her boys smile.
Some spider's web, a skeleton and a flying, howling ghost,
she finally remembered the one thing about Halloween that she loved most.

It certainly wasn't the carving of pumpkins or the Reese Peanut Butter cups in the bag,
and no, it definitely wasn't the costumes hanging pathetically still showing their tags.
It was greater, it was better. It was watching the costumes fill out,
as her sons jumped in them with joy and danced all about.

Yes, every time the costumes came to life
the Mommy Witch forgot about all her silly, silly Halloween strife.
She saw the joy in her sons' eyes as they practiced saying boo,
and her love for her boys, just grew and grew and grew.

2013-10-30-OrangeRhinoHalloween.jpg

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