It sounds like such a tough situation! Halloween is supposed to be fun, but I can completely see how this went too far, especially for a young child. Here’s a possible approach that might help calm her fears and explain the situation:
First, try gently talking to your daughter and validating her feelings. Tell her it’s okay to feel scared and that even grown-ups can be spooked sometimes. Then, explain that Halloween is a time when people dress up to look silly or different from how they usually do – even adults! You could say, “Grandma was just pretending to be a witch, like when you dress up as a princess or a superhero.”
If she’s still worried, maybe go through some pictures together, like showing her photos of grandma without the costume. You could even do a fun little makeup session at home where you both take turns “transforming” each other, so she can see that makeup and costumes are just ways to play pretend.
Later, maybe you and your mother-in-law can arrange a calm, positive visit where she can be herself, maybe even in “happy” colors instead of the dark ones that might remind your daughter of the witch costume. Hopefully, it will help replace those scary memories with warmer ones, and grandma can be back in her good books soon!
Our Granddaughter Accused Us of Being Cheap after Getting Our Wedding Present
My husband and I bought our granddaughter Eloise a wedding gift from her registry, but she accused us of being cheap. She expected the $40,000 cash gift we give our grandkids before their weddings. Upset, she threatened to cut us off.
“We buy a small gift from the registry and give a check for $40,000 the day before the wedding,” I explained. This time, we sent an air fryer, the cheapest item on her list. Eloise called, livid: “An air fryer? That’s the cheapest thing you could find?”
I told her, “Yes, we’re cheap, old, and useless. The only thing you didn’t know is that the day before the wedding, we were going to gift you a check for $40,000.”
Eloise’s reaction made us reconsider giving the cash. Later, she found out about our tradition and accused us of discrimination. “Why didn’t I get anything?”
“We felt after your reaction, it wasn’t right to go ahead with the gift,” I said. Eloise, now boycotting Christmas, refuses to understand our perspective. Despite this, our door and hearts remain open to her.
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