I have never been much of a scary movie fan. Still, during spooky season, I have felt the urge to visit the classics: "The Shining," "Silence of the Lambs" and "Scream."
Fun fact: Wes Craven, the director of "Scream" as well as "A Nightmare on Elm Street," is from Cleveland, something we discussed on Monday’s “Sound of Ideas” program with local film experts.
The rule in my house is that we can only watch scary movies during daytime, with the lights on. And I have to watch something very fun and wholesome afterward, or else I will have nightmares. My husband says his rule is that we can only watch scary movies at night with the lights off, which is partly why we don’t watch many scary movies.
This October, I was expecting mostly fun and games, because it's my first Halloween as a new parent. I pictured walks outside with a canopy of colorful leaves, playdates, maybe a visit to a pumpkin farm. Then, suddenly, the reality of day care came creeping at our door.
It's a scarier premise than any movie I have ever seen.
First, our day care reported that my son had a bit of a stomachache. He was his usual, happy-go-lucky self, so we thought nothing of it. Thirty six hours later, my husband said he wasn't feeling well, and was trapped in the bathroom all night. When dawn came, I finally realized that ... the call was coming from inside the house. It was the dreaded stomach bug, norovirus, and it was my turn to be terrorized by the virus.
We watched in the coming days as family members who had come in contact with our sweet, innocent contaminated boy had become infected. No one is safe!
Nothing is scarier to a new parent than having to take care of a baby while you, your spouse and all of your caregiving support is down for the count.
But like the end of all horror movies, or the ones that don't keep me awake all night, the monster was eventually defeated. It took a coordinated attack of saltine crackers, Gatorade, and time.
If only it had lasted as long as a 90-minute horror flick. It turned out to be one of the hardest weeks I have encountered as a new parent, since being in the newborn trenches. It gave me a better understanding of how hard it can be for working parents. I felt grateful for my work's flexibility, and my co-workers' accommodations, to allow me to work from home when needed, something not every company allows.
Now that we’re healthy, my attention can turn back to one of the joys of new parenthood: putting my son into a baby pumpkin outfit and taking lots of photos.
When he’s old enough, I’m excited to show him some not-so-spooky movies and TV shows. One of our favorites is the 2014 animated miniseries, “Over the Garden Wall,” as well as the 1966 classic, “It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.”
On our show Monday, the guests from the Greater Cleveland Film Commission and the Nightlight Cinema recommended other family friendly classics, such as “The Addams Family” and “Gremlins.” Those go on the list, too.
We made it thought this month’s “trick.” Next comes the “treat,” which, in addition to eating his Halloween candy, is enjoying the sounds of “Aww!” I hope to hear as I stroll my adorable pumpkin from house to house.
It will not be a nightmare on our street. Armed only with a sweet smile, the only thing my child will be spreading is joy.
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