DOWN HOME: Ghosts, goblins & Christian kids

This time of year, Halloween poses a problem for many Christians. Does participating in this sometimes-freakish fall festival undermine our faith? Does dressing the kiddoes up as ghosts, goblins or—even scarier—politicians or reality TV stars reflect lack of reverence for God?

Parents of young children face similar challenges during other holidays, you know. Like deciding what to do or say about Santa Claus. And don't forget the Easter Bunny.

Of course, Halloween is trickier, because the themes are more perverse. Witches, warlocks, zombies and ghouls aren't exactly edifying creatures. For lots of folks, Halloween feels like you're honoring the devil or, at the least, giving him way more than his due.

But like most parental quandaries, Halloween always is pretty much what you make of it. From one perspective, it's a scary Satanic celebration of evil spirits. From another, it's a night to dress up, flex the young 'uns imaginations, hang out with friends and neighbors and—worst of all—allow the young generation to absorb way, way too much candy.

My daughters, Lindsay and Molly, could recite a litany of limitations and liabilities that afflicted my fatherhood. I messed up plenty of times. But at least I approached all manner of adversities and challenges as "teachable moments."

For example, after I lost the battle over whether the girls were old enough to watch Friends, with its numerous references to extramarital sex, I decided to take advantage of every incident for a mini-lecture on why True Love Waits. Before long, whenever Chandler, Joey, Monica, Phoebe, Rachel and/or Ross talked about off-limits stuff, Lindsay and Molly would repeat their lesson before I could even pipe up. "We know," they'd chime in chorus. "We don't do that." Ta-da! (And they meant it, too.)

Joanna and I tried to make holidays, including Halloween, opportunities for training our girls. So, even if they went trick-or-treating at the zoo dressed as ghosts, they knew not to take the event to heart.

And many times, we just enjoyed the moment with the little ladies. In fact, one of my best parental moments happened Oct. 31, 1986, when Jo was pregnant with Molly and Lindsay was almost 3.

My friend David and I took his son, Micah, and Lindsay trick-or-treating at the homes of friends in our church. David and I remained vigilant, lest the bigger kids knock Micah and Lindsay off the porches. And then, since we made the rounds in a car, we struggled with bulky costumes and carseats over and over and over. And over.

As we walked along the sidewalk to the final front porch of the evening, Lindsay reached up, stuck her hand in mine and asked, "Daddy, aren't we having fun?!"

A sweet, sacred moment on a "scary" night.