Yeah, I had "trick" yelled back at me once in a while, too. My mom would usually just grab me by the shoulder and get me away from those people as quickly as possible. I think that's half the reason I was scared overall, because I could read her sometimes not feeling entirely safe about things, herself.
Also, your story of trick or treating in military neighborhoods reminds me of the biggest reason the whole ordeal each year might've scared me...I spent four of my earlier childhood years in an apartment complex that my mom refused to trick or treat in. I guess she thought our neighborhood was a bit lowbrow for her kids to knock on doors in (though for much of that time my sister was a baby so she didn't come with us; instead she'd be left with a neighbor who acted as a sitter while we were gone).
She'd take us to just a handful of nearby friends and acquaintances, then we'd jump in the car and drive to the next town over, to a neighborhood I guess she thought was a bit nicer (houses/cul de sacs) which still wigged me out, because in the dark I felt unfamiliar with the territory and knew no one answering the doors.
Maybe I've always had a sort of instinctively cautious personality; part of that might've been being sensitive to my mom's own reactions to other people and various situations. I think I tend to absorb the feelings of people closer to me like a sponge, then not even realize it until something forces me to confront that fact.
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chiming
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Date: 2016-11-02 04:46 am (UTC)From:Also, your story of trick or treating in military neighborhoods reminds me of the biggest reason the whole ordeal each year might've scared me...I spent four of my earlier childhood years in an apartment complex that my mom refused to trick or treat in. I guess she thought our neighborhood was a bit lowbrow for her kids to knock on doors in (though for much of that time my sister was a baby so she didn't come with us; instead she'd be left with a neighbor who acted as a sitter while we were gone).
She'd take us to just a handful of nearby friends and acquaintances, then we'd jump in the car and drive to the next town over, to a neighborhood I guess she thought was a bit nicer (houses/cul de sacs) which still wigged me out, because in the dark I felt unfamiliar with the territory and knew no one answering the doors.
Maybe I've always had a sort of instinctively cautious personality; part of that might've been being sensitive to my mom's own reactions to other people and various situations. I think I tend to absorb the feelings of people closer to me like a sponge, then not even realize it until something forces me to confront that fact.