Maybe just say it's too scary for you and if they ask why just tell them its a scary time of the year. It's not a whole lie because it is horrific time for you. Then maybe when they are older you can explain to them if you feel like. I'm only 18 so i'm not a parent but i know exactly how it feels to hate a holiday but have everyone around u love it then they just keep asking questions. It's easier to keep ur answers simple but not super detailed until you are ready to explain it fully. I really hope this helped *hugs*

I agree. Tell them that it brings back bad memories from when you were a kid and you got beat up by bullies on that day. It's not a lie.

I'm really sorry that happened to you. That's terrible, seriously. I hope you feel better. Wish you luck. Just be you.

I wouldn't tell them much about it at all at this point in their lives... They're just kids..... I would perhaps just say you weren't feeling to well today... Big hug....xo

Thanks ladies!! I'm just glad it's over with and tomorrow will be a better day. I'm going to bed now so I won't have to deal with it anymore. I just hope to hell I don't have nightmares because I can't wake up from nightmares with this new med that I'm on. I sleep all night. It can get bad!!!

At 14 and 15 years old I think they can handle some information about what happened to you, certainly not everything. I think it is important to be honest with our kids, they are actually more aware than we think they are, the internet is full of crap they are exposed to everyday.

I think I would tell them something like this. Halloween is a tough time for me and I get triggered by the time of year. This does not mean you cannot enjoy the Halloween, I just wanted you to know it is tough for me and I might be a bit off because of it. When I was young I was grabbed by a guy on Halloween and it was very scary for me. I got hurt and every Halloween I am reminded of this. I love seeing you guys having fun however, my heart races and I get anxious from my past experience. Just be safe and careful, I worry about you guys too. Halloween is fun, but there are some weirdos out there who dress up and do bad things.

That is just me. I try to be honest with my kids about what is going on. They know I have PTSD, Major Depression, and Anxiety. They know I have been hospitalized and they know it was because I did not want to live. They are aware I have done a lot of therapy and I take meds. They are aware of the legal action I took against my employer and how hard that was on me. They are aware I do not sleep well and have anxiety going to bed. Most of all, they are aware I love them.

I use my mental health issues to open a conversation with them and to help end the stigma. They know they can ask me anything. Their friends have come to me with and told me they have mental health issues themselves, OCD, Anxiety etc. I am spinning it to a negative into a positive.

It has worked for me, but you know your kids and yourself best. It might now be right for your family.

Gentle hugs

I get triggered on Halloween, too. Growing up overseas, there were few families from the US in my foreign town who knew what trick or treating was. So our moms got together and made a list of addresses of US citizens and drove us all over town to trick or treat at them.

Problem: the country was at war, and some hostile combatants used the list to identify homes of US citizens for kidnapping. They kidnapped and killed the dad of my 5th grade pal from the US who lived in my neighborhood. I went to his funeral. It was awful for everybody, but especially for me as an 11 year old.

Stuff like that's hard to explain to folks who don't get why I get chills on Halloween. Your stuff about what happened to you is even harder. But it's real. Can we both just say Halloween happens to be a date when a lot of hurt happened to us in the past, and could we be allowed to have a pass about it?

You know Muji that might actually work. I don't want to tell my kids about what happened. I think it's important to keep that from them just so that Halloween isn't ruined for them. Knowing something like that can make them paranoid and I don't want that. I handed out candy and every time my door was knocked on my heart sank so finally my dad said no more and blocked off the front door so that they would stay away. My kids' know that a lot of bad stuff happened to me and I was hurt badly but they don't know details.

I was thinking maybe you could use your past to make sure those close to you never have to experience similar experiences on Halloween? Maybe you could make your home a safe environment for your kids as well as their friends and neighbor kids.