You've Been "Ghosted"!!!

So there is this thing kids do usually at this time of year. The best way to explain it is a month long mischief night without illegal activity. They run to a friends door and leave candy and a note that says "You've been Ghosted (insert name of recipient here)". Then they ring the bell and run away. You can do it any time during the year but throughout October it's most popular.

A few years ago, I was walking with a neighbor when she was walking her dogs. We saw some middle school kids doing this and asked about it. I knew older elementary kids would be ghosting. But, I thought first grade was a little young. About a week ago, a couple of first grade parents were talking at pick up from school. They had taken their kids ghosting.

After that, I knew it was possible Zach would want to ghost. The addresses in our apartment complex are confusing. The parents in the class have our address. But, finding even our outside door can take a while. We usually tell expected guests to call when they get to the complex and we will walk them over. Only three classmates have been to our apartment. Only two are close enough to ghost. I didn't see Zach getting ghosted.

This morning, Zach asked if he could ghost those two friends. I included a girl that lives very close but has never been over in the ghosting preparations. While he was in school, I gathered candy. I got mini jack-o-lanterns from a party store too.

You are supposed to ghost in the evening but we did it around 4. The first friend wasn't home. The girl was second. The door opened and closed. The note was on the door but nothing was taken. So we went to the friend he's been playing with (mentioned in a previous post). THAT friend caught Zach. So they tried the girl who lives across the street from the second boy again. Without success, it was homework time. At about 7, when dinner was almost done cooking, Zach got ghosted.

The note on the package said "You've been ghosted by someone in (x)". The "x" stands for his grade and teacher. There are two first grades in his school. This narrowed it down to one of the kids in his specific class. The only one who's been here is the second boy he ghosted. The girl is in the class too. The first boy has the other teacher. It can't be him. I suspect it was the second boy.

But, it could be the girl. Zach wasn't subtle with hiding. They do have our address in the class list. Her house borders the apartment complex. She may not have been here. But, she might know how to read the addresses. She can't be ruled out completely.

It was a fun thing to participate in. I loved watching Zach's face while he did it. With both boys, we included their sisters. Zach plays with the sister of the first boy sometimes too. She's older and has gotten ghosted herself from classmates. The other boy has a two year old sister. I didn't want her to be left out.

I like this a lot better then mischief night. You aren't making extra work for someone. It's a nice surprise. It's also fun to guess who ghosted you. It's easy to get left out of house traditions when you live in an apartment. It's easy to get forgotten. I'm glad that Zach was included on both ends of this.