Do Kids Even Enjoy Carving Pumpkins?

I admit, I don't like carving pumpkins.

But I know my kids enjoy it, so I buy one every year for us to carve.

And by us, I mean my husband. Or me, if he's deployed with the military.

But the kids have to clean out the pumpkin.

My son Tommy has sensory issues, so he's not always keen to do this:

However, he has gotten better over the years.

This year I bought a pumpkin, and my daughter Natalie kept asking when we were going to carve it.

My husband wasn't in the mood.

I wasn't in the mood.

"I'll do it," Natalie offered, but I pictured her waving a knife over her head while shrieking, "I have the power!" and vetoed that pretty quickly.

"We'll do it," I promised. "At some point."

So the pumpkin sat. And sat. And sat.

"You know Halloween is less than a week," Natalie reminded me on Friday.

I was all, "Would you settle for this?"

And she went, "No."

We decided to carve the pumpkin on Saturday.

And by we, I mean my husband.

I told him I'd do it, and he was all, "No, you'll butcher it," and I reminded him I was in charge when he was deployed and he repeated, "You'll butcher it."

Which is basically what I did to the pumpkin I was in charge of, but you know, I tried, and that's gotta count for something, right?

So we told the kids we'd carve the pumpkin on Saturday and I expected Natalie to be like, "Yay, finally," but she just shrugged and muttered out some sort of response. I've noticed tweens and teens like to grunt things.

Tom opened the top of the pumpkin and was all, "Where are the kids?" and I looked around and none were to be found.

"Tommy? Natalie?" I called up the stairs.

I could hear Tommy was playing a video game. The gunfire abruptly stopped. "Yeah?" he asked.

No response from Natalie.

"The pumpkin!" I shouted.

In his defense, Tommy didn't ask about the pumpkin. I don't think he cares one way or the other. But he was the one that came down and started to clean it.

"Natalie?" I tried again. "Natalie, why is your brother with sensory issues the only one cleaning out the pumpkin? Get down here!"

Then she had the nerve to groan and stomp down the stairs as though I inconvenienced HER. When SHE was the one begging for the carving to even happen.

Source

"I was in the middle of playing Roblox," she huffed at me.

"We're doing the pumpkin," I said through clenched teeth. "Remember? The one you kept asking about?"

Natalie sighed. "Ugh. I wasn't ready yet."

"I don't care. Your father and I are ready--"

"Not really. No. I'm being forced to do it," Tom cut in.

"Just. Clean out the pumpkin." I motioned towards it.

Natalie gave me a Killer Tween Look--parents, you know the one--and went over to the pumpkin.

The kids did clean it out.

"Isn't this fun? We're making memories!" I called out sarcastically.

I mean. Why do I even bother with the pumpkin anymore? Why?

When the pumpkin was clean, Tom got to work. He asked why the pumpkin tools were all "crap and cheap" and I said to just do the basic jack o lantern style and he went, "No. That's boring," and continued to mutter about the pumpkin tools being "crap and cheap."

Mind you, Natalie went back upstairs, so Tommy and I were left with a grumbling Tom.

"Isn't this fun?" I asked Tommy.

"Not really," Tommy answered.

Then Tom finished and...

....yay!

"Natalie!" I called.

"UGH WHAT?"

"THE PUMPKIN THAT YOU WANTED IS CARVED!"

She came back down, looked at it, and went, "I like it! Thanks Daddy!"

And then she went back up to her room.

I don't. I mean. What?

I'm not sure if we'll be carving a pumpkin next year. The kids are older. The allure seems to be gone.

Still.

It took does look pretty cool outside.

So maybe we will carve another next year.

And by we, I mean my husband.