Some events are not for adults. Trick-or-Treating door to door is one of those things. Don’t do it. It’s good to have things that kids do that grownups do not. Somehow (maybe in the 1950’s?) we decided that many enjoyable activities were just for kids and adults should not. By the time the kill joys were done, “adult entertainment” was vice.
We watched while the kids had fun or we would slink off to do things nobody should do and call it “adult.”
Walt Disney saw his daughters on a carousel while the parents watched and said: “No!” Walt Disney was right.
Growing up should not take away innocent amusements amongst adults and leave only smoking, drinking, and overpriced coffee products as the only adult pleasures. We spend boatloads of money on graduations for kids, birthday parties for kids, Christmas for kids and then wonder why people are hesitant to grow up.
Here is a basic rule for a wholesome life: adult parties should be more enjoyable and more fun than child parties. I know when I was growing up this was true. I would look down the stairs with envy to see the fun and enjoyed hearing the laughter. The Dick Van Dyke Show pictured suburban parties as full of music, dancing, costumes, and witty conversation. They did not get together just to watch television and grunt about the kids while the kids were outside being entertained by bounce houses, non-scary clowns, and magicians. The kid, Richie, went to bed (“Oh Mother!”) while they had fun.
I am not saying that kids should not have fun: to the contrary, but adults work harder and so the play time (to the extent there is time for play!) should be adult centered. Kids can grow up, get jobs, and make their own fun
An example of the death of adult entertainment is the costume party. I see two things in my social media feed. Adults who think that Halloween is a time to act like moral degenerates for fun and adults who (rightly) attack the sin, but then go further and sniff that grownups should not do fun things.
Right.
The problem is that we took the costume party, an elegant and enjoyable tradition, and turned it into either a low class orgy or a thing only a fit for children. Once, a priest I know was getting cabled installed. As a single guy, the installer said: “I can get you porn channels.” My pastor said “no” and pointed out he was a pastor. The cable guy then suggested the Disney Channel. My pastor’s frustration was that those were the only two choices
During the holiday time, let’s restore the tradition that parties are (mostly) for grownups, the kids go to bed. Let’s have get some class and have some fun. Jollification is a foretaste of the party that is Paradise.
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