If you were 9 years old, and you had the chance to skip Halloween to see a space shuttle launch, would you do it?

I would go see the space shuttle launch in a heartbeat. I was kind of over Halloween by nine Really, I just wanted candy.

Halloween comes once every year. They don’t launch stuff into space as often.

Halloween was always a let-down for me, but that’s with the power of hindsight. Especially since the shuttle program is going to be scrapped, I’d totally go for the launch.

I would skip Halloween in a New York minute.

Agh, tough one. I love Halloween and always have… but space shuttle launch takes the cake.

At the age of 9 I don’t think I would have had the maturity to choose an unknown historic event whose significance I couldn’t really appreciate over a much-anticipated and enormously hyped ritual that appealed to both fantasy and greed and that all my friends were excited over.

I hope the child gets to make his or her own decision and learn from it.

Is it necessary to choose one or the other? Why not have both? That’s the first question.

At nine, I’d say: **** space, I want my damn candy
Just being honest.

Skip Halloween, for sure.

I’d definitely go the space shuttle. Then I’d make my parents buy me heaps of candy to make up for missing Halloween.

At 9, I would have been all about Halloween. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays to this day. My front porch is already decorated.

My son would probably pick the space shuttle launch. He’s into those things right now (he’s 8).

She first decided to stay home for Halloween. I said fine. Then she asked if I could get tickets “for the next one.” I told her I couldn’t, and let it go. She said, ‘I don’t want to miss Halloween.” I said, “Okay.” Then later, she said, “Can we do Halloween and then go?” I said, “No, it’s one or the other, but it’s fine if you want to stay home.” Then later she said, “I’ve changed my mind. I can do Halloween any year, and besides all I like about it is the candy, and I can get candy any time. If we can get tickets for the shuttle, I choose that.” I said, “Okay, sounds good!” (I knew she’d come around.)

Now, it’s a slim chance we’ll get tickets, but a friend of mine has gotten selected to participate in the lottery this year. But I wanted to leave it totally up to her.

I say make an executive decision for your 9 year old and go to the launch. Buy her her favorite candy so she does not miss out on the candy. Many places in FL do Halloween in the malls, maybe you can do both somehow? What time is the launch? We typically had candy at a lot of the registers for the kids in costume, and then around 6:00 until we closed we had people at the store entrances inside of the mall giving out candy to tons of kids walking through the mall, all in costume, they did not even go into the stores. Another idea throw a Halloween party for her with friends the Friday or Saturday before Halloween.

Space ftw!

Skip. See shuttle it’s a bigger treat than a full bag of candy. Plus, I’m sure there will be some treats on the way there, and back.

I would dress up and go to the shuttle launch… I still go trick or treating. My excuse are the little kids I babysit.

In a minute. Halloween happens every year. How often do you get a chance to watch a space shuttle launch? But it’s hard to be nine, I can understand. They may have different priorities. Any chance that a costume could be worn and candy could be had at the shuttle launch? That would be epic cool. Or could you maybe stage a sort of private Halloween for him? (I have my own private Halloweens all the time. I don’t dress up, I just buy bags of those little individually wrapped candies for myself. :-)) He could dress up and you could hide candy around the house and leaves him clues as to where to find it; like a scavenger hunt and then he wouldn’t feel like he completely missed out on the Halloween thing.

I think I would have chosen Halloween, I love it. I think either option is a good choice though – whatever the kids heart tells him. If the space shuttle is once in a life-time (i.e. if you’re only going to be in Florida once, or whatever) and he wants to see it, he should go to that.

I knew she’d come around to the shuttle launch idea. I just wanted to give her the illusion that the decision was hers.

I’d still give it only a 5% chance that we’ll go. But if we do, we’ll surprise her with the Harry Potter theme park as a substitute for Halloween.

Sorry for assuming it was a boy. A girl would love it too.

@ftp901 Heh…I didn’t even notice. No problem.

@Jeruba The reason why she can’t have both is because the shuttle launch is scheduled for 11/1 in Florida, and I live in California. We have to fly out there on the 30th or 31st.

But it’ll be Hallowe’en in Florida too…

Why can’t she do Halloween in FL? They do it there too.

Probably. Holloween sucked when I was a 9.

Space Shuttle! You can always buy bags of candy half of the day after Halloween.

@Jeruba Of course it would. But trick-or-treating in a hotel lobby isn’t quite the same as trick-or-treating with your friends in the neighborhood. :-)

@Rarebear Sorry, I got the gender wrong in my answer too. You apparently have a nine year old daughter :-)

@Rarebear GA for putting the image of trick or treating in a hotel in my head. Thanks!

Here is an idea, fly into Orlando on the 30th and have Halloween in Disney! Buy her a princess costume and you are all set. Then drive in the morning on the 1st over to Cocoa Beach, assuming the launch is not first thing in the morning.

If that does not sound good, I think the mall in Cocoa is Merritt, you can call the mall and see if the stores do Halloween for the kids as I suggested above.

What kind of maniacs would schedule a space shuttle launch the day after halloween? Of course the astronauts are going to go trick or treating the night before. What else is an astronaut costume good for?

You should definitely let her do both. You could take her to a neighbourhood that is relatively safe (one of the richer neighbourhoods) or find a family activity (Disney is a good idea) where you could do something fun.

@Rarebear, doing something that’s not-quite-the-same-as is a long way from not doing it at all. Doing the best we can with what we’ve got is a great lesson for a kid to learn. I sure hope she packs her costume. She could have the most memorable Hallowe’en ever.

@ftp901 Our plan, if I can swing it, is to do the new Harry Potter theme park. We’ve seen and done Disneyland several times and frankly I’d like to see something different.

But actually, this whole exercise for her was that there are sometimes situations where you can’t have your cake and eat it too. There are times in life where you have to make a choice and a sacrifice. I wanted her to get the experience of having to make that choice (either missing the shuttle launch or Halloween).

@Rarebear why does she have to learn that lesson now? She can learn to investigate how to have Halloween in a different city. Or, study a map and see how close Disney is to the space coast, I’m all excited about that.

@Rarebear, I thoroughly understand that lesson. But what does it teach if it’s a contrived choice? I always ask first if I can have both. Often you can. Why not teach her to ask sensible questions in order to find out what’s possible? Information gathering should always precede decision making.

@JLeslie and @Jeruba At the time I asked it it was really an either-or. I hadn’t gotten clearance from work to get away the whole weekend (allowing for Harry Potter), and we would have been spending all of Halloween on an airplane. It was only after she made her decision that I got a little more leeway to leave a couple of days earlier.

But the way it stands now, I won’t know for about a week whether we even got the tickets.

I’d want to go to the launch. Watching Halloween at aged nine would have frightened the crap out of me. Besides, I could always record the movie. I have a sinking feeling this is not what you meant! ;¬}

Nope, I wouldn’t. Halloween has always been my favorite holiday. I wouldn’t give it up for anything.

Ok, I called guest services at Merritt Mall and the woman said they do Halloween, kids in costume everywhere, but they usually finalize the date at the end of September. The number is 321–745-2092. I can’t help it, I want her to have both.

LOL! @JLeslie Thanks!

I GOT THE TICKETS! I GOT THE TICKETS!!!! WOOO HOOO!!! (Much jumping up and down).

Yay!!!!! I hope you upload a picture of your daughter in her halloween costume. LOL. JK.

It is very exciting, a once in a lifetime type of thing.

Wishing you clear skies.

Thanks for telling us.

Thinking of this thread as Halloween approaches.

@JLeslie Thanks. We’re in Florida now and the launch was delayed 2 days. I could have stuck around if it were delayed one day but I have to get back by Wednesday so we’re actually going to miss it. We’re making the best of the trip, though. We went to a wildlife refuge today and we’re going to the Kennedy Space Center tomorrow. Disney on Monday. Home Tuesday.

Aww, dissappointing. Do you need Disney tips? Do you know which park you are going to go to? I can tell you the best rides and how to avoid long lines.

@JLeslie No, thanks. I’m a Disney veteran.