As a dad, Halloween brings so many questions and need of comfort from my daughter. Our 4-year-old daughter is a very sensitive girl. She is very affected by visual images. My wife and I lead a very peaceful home. We don’t watch horror films or even argue in front of our children. When we go out to a grocery store or just a drive through the neighborhood, that peacefulness is no longer in our control. Halloween is very scary for a young, innocent mind.

“Dad, why is that face angry?”

“Why are those eyes glowing?”

I hate that I have to explain to my daughter why there is a skeleton at the entrance of Home Depot. I hate that she has to hide her eyes in my shoulder at the grocery store and then wakes up from the nightmares.

Halloween is not of God. Period. God loves our precious children and has created them to be pure and innocent.

I know what someone may say: ”You should just prepare your child for some of these images.” The reality is that I shouldn’t have to. I shouldn’t have to explain what Frankenstein’s monster is in the grocery store. I shouldn’t have to tell her why a bloody corpse is hanging from the tree in a neighborhood yard.

Our society has become desensitized to many of the things we see. We say that it’s just entertainment or for fun.

If you really believe in God and you want to have a relationship with Him, should you really be involved with Halloween? No. Don’t do it. Don’t let others guilt you into it because, “It’s for the kids.” It is not for the kids. Innocent children have to be trained to not be afraid of the evil images of the holiday.

My wife, with the advice of a friend, is trying something new. We talk with our daughter about Philippians 4:8 where Paul wrote: “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things.”

When she is scared we have her talk about these things. Then she draws a picture of what she is afraid of and puts it in a jar. At the end of the day she throws away the contents of the jar. We continue to talk about her favorite things throughout the day. Something that is true, noble, just, pure…you get the idea. Focus on the things of the light, not of the darkness.

Have you had a similar experience with your children? What did you do?