Emanuel and the Haunted House

Today we made our annual trip to the pumpkin patch. We had a lot of fun doing all the usual things, but this year Ben wanted to try something new. He wanted to go through the haunted house. It's not a very scary haunted house- just a little shed with some black lights and animatronic ghouls making cackling sounds, but I knew even that would freak out my sheltered boys.

In the past I've been able to talk Ben out of going in, but not this year. I told him to go ahead and go through if he really thought he could handle it, but that I had to stay outside with Isabel and Emanuel. I thought it would be way too scary for Emanuel. If he even hears the word "ghost" he's spooked for days.

Ben stood outside and stared at the shack for a few minutes, then took a deep breath and walked through the entrance. After about 5 seconds I heard a yell and he came running out.

"Do you want to skip it?" I asked. "Were you too scared."

"No," he answered nonchalantly. "I just want Emanuel to go with me. Come on Emanuel."

"I'm not scared Mom. I can go with him," Emanuel said and bravely walked through the door with Ben.

I counted. As soon as I reached five, the yell came and Emanuel came tearing out the entrance of the little shed with his eyes wide and arms flailing. He nearly ran past me in his mad escape.

"That is too scary," he said. "That is too scary. I need to go back in."

In he went. About two minutes later he and Ben came out the exit, very proud that they had made it all the way through the haunted house!