You see them on everyone’s front porches, come Halloween time. Adorable carved jack-o-lanterns, lit up to usher in Halloween. Looking at them, one might think it’s effortless to create these festive and fun decorations. A time-honored tradition, right?!
Not so fast. Pumpkin carving with young kids is anything but an effortless process. What was once a simple carving of a few triangles and maybe an oval or two, has now morphed into “let’s pick ridiculously intricated stencils and watch as Dad gets carpal tunnel AND almost saws his hand off in the same motion.”
First off, what young kid can actually manage the pumpkin carving tools? I mean, I think I really need to poll all of the parents I know. Even my nine year old cannot yet really manage carving through the thick rind of the pumpkin, and her little brothers hardly have the grip strength to even manage the little poking tool. Even if you do pick a simple design for each pumpkin, much of this project is left to Mom or Dad. And now that Pinterest is commonplace and every store readily stocks books of carving designs, kids suddenly have their sights set on way more intricate designs.
“A Star Wars-themed pumpkin to go with your Star Wars-themed costumes?” Sure.
“A Minnie Mouse-carved pumpkin because you do loooooovvvveeee Minnie Mouse?” Sure.
The minute my kids spotted the design book as I sped through the aisle at Target, I knew we were done for.
With that, Halloween pumpkin carving suddenly became Dad’s work.
Each kid had, of course, picked their own pumpkin at the pumpkin patch, so each of them wanted to carve their pumpkin. And, of course, we are quickly reminded that they are little help, aside from helping us scoop out the seeds and flesh. Some of our kids even gag through that part of it. Luckily for them, Justin is never one to back away from a challenge – especially one that could involve using power tools…
