October in New York City is beautiful. The tree canopy in Central Park is a blanket of orange, red, and yellow. The humidity fades and the temperature is perfect for taking long strolls through the city instead of cramming into public transportation.

But there’s another side to October in New York City that isn’t so lovely for mothers of very observant young children. New Yorkers go all out decorating for Halloween. Yes, there are beautiful displays of fall foliage and pumpkins of every color climbing the steps of brownstones. There are also horror movie advertisements on almost every bus and taxi, gory figures hanging outside brownstone windows, and skeletons dangling from trees. When my daughter was almost three years old, October felt like the entire city was a haunted house and I was trying desperately to shield my small child from all of the scary images around her. I was also praying every single day for God to show me how to explain these images to her but was equally nervous about messing up those conversations.