Not clear on the concept

Trick or treating was a night early in St. Joseph - the Bears were in the playoffs on Halloween proper, so the township changed the holiday rather than the football schedule. We got Jonathan dressed in his firefighter's costume and struggled Alex into the mouse costume I bought him last week. They picked up their plastic pumpkins and off we went, with Grandma and I on walking duty, and Chris staying home to disperse treats.

We stopped next door first of all, with Alex crossing the lawn to get his very first treat from Hilary. He stopped several times to look at the small chocolate bar rattling around in his Elmo head bucket. His mouse costume had little pink mittens on the end of the sleeves, so he carried the bucket over his arm like a handbag. Jonathan went on ahead with Grandma as I coaxed Alex along.

Jonathan really got into the spirit of trick or treating this year. He sprinted up the sidewalks and rang doorbells. If people didn't answer right away, we had to discourage him from banging on the door. He confidently said "Trick or Treat!" and remembered to say thank you most of the time. Then he would come running down the walk, shouting "Grandma! I got some MORE candy!"

Alex was much slower and spent a lot of time looking around at the groups of trick or treaters all over the neighborhood. Finally, we convinced him to walk up to one door with Jonathan. His big brother expertly steered him past the cars in the driveway, but let Alex fall behind as the Bear got distracted by some rocks. Jonathan got the candy; from the sidewalk, we urged Alex to go get a piece also. He was happy to walk up to say "Hi" to the people and the doggie at the door. But when offered a piece of candy, he shook his head, pulled his bucket away, and said "No!"

Jonathan ran over to put a few pieces in Alex's bucket. Alex promptly sat on the ground and wailed until I came to take it out. I didn't really want Now and Laters - I was going for one of the chocolate bars. But Alex is too smart for me. He realized I had taken one of the original three pieces of candy and wailed again until I restored them, then removed the upstart fruit chews.

From then on, Alex refused all treats and Jonathan quickly learned on his own how to work that to his advantage. We overheard him asking for "a piece for my brother - he's little - and can I have a piece for my Grandma?" Alex visited a few more houses to say hello, and then I carried him home. Jonathan and Grandma got home later and ate a few pieces, and then Jonathan went to bed.