Find out what we are doing this year on Halloween. Plus, how to avoid a date trap, manage time better and talk to kids after school. Dig in…

Halloween has something special about it every year. I admit that I was not too fond of Halloween parties myself before I came to New York. Over here, friends like Kate and Irina take such an active interest in planning and decking up in Halloween costumes and organize crazy parties that I gave in very easily. Things have changed since then because with age, things have mellowed down a little. This time around, the girls here are cracking their heads up deciding what to wear.

While the girls are having it tough, the kids are not that much in despair. This Halloween, Ethan and Emily have planned to conduct a movie fest at their place. They have called friends over and will be playing some classic Halloween theme movies all through the night. Movie buff Adrian wanted a seat too, and he had to really insist and plead to get an entry! While their mom Donna is still worrying about her costume, her children are putting confident ticks on their checklist for Halloween.

There are times when you answer text messages from a prospective date even though you have no intention of actually dating that person. It may sound confusing on the surface, but that is a reality among some special friends. Irina met someone at the café when the guy accidentally tripped and spilled some coffee on her. The apologies done with, they got talking. This guy made it known in the very second day that he was in a relationship for about a couple of years now. Irina didn’t need to know, but he volunteered to share.

All well till then. But this guy responds to Irina’s text messages and calls without a fail. He shows more than a passing interest in Irina. Irina can vouch that he has expressed some tenderness that you don’t really exhibit for someone you met very recently. This is confusing Irina. She doesn’t know what to think of his actions. Does he want her to believe that they are more than friends? Is he playing around to see how far he can go with this? Irina is obviously relishing the attention, but where is this going?

Being busy professionals, there is no doubt that you draw up to-do lists for the day. But are they actually useful? With the amount of digital invasion that is bombarding us from all ends it becomes tough for anyone to keep track of work on bits of paper. You may stick notes on your computer screen, but you may actually not be chained to your desk all day. Even if you are, you may be using more than one computer at work, or talking to colleagues at a time when you should be at your desk to read the to-do note!

I will tell you what I do. I must confess to being forgetful and have landed myself in amusing situations at work because I forgot things. So I decided to use technology that was at my disposal. No more stick-on pads. It’s time for alerts that can actually draw my attention to the work waiting for me. Computer and cell phone alerts are most suited for this purpose. For research as well, you can use the alert devices available online. While technology does take some pleasure off life, it can also contribute in making things easier.

It’s probably easier to make a political spy to talk than a child who doesn’t want to talk about school! You can try your hand at poking and prodding, but it’s almost certain that you won’t get anything out of that unwilling soul. You have to try out something different; something that will win the trust of your child in confiding in you. Liz, my sister, attacks her daughter Rachael with a barrage of questions the moment she walks in after school! Naturally, Rachael turns on the leave-me-alone mode.

Donna was called upon to shed some light on being a good mom! Donna asked Liz to forget about asking pointed questions straightaway. “Start with questions that have a definite answer, in yes or no,” Donna advised Liz, “and always show an active interest in whatever she says, even if it’s inane.” Donna pearls of wisdom helped Liz well. These days Liz talks with Rachael on an even tone. The patronizing I’m-your-mom voice has given way to a much friendly mode of conversation. Hope things thaw down soon.

Here’s a Halloween quote from Arthur Conan Doyle that can solve this dilemma of what to do on Halloween: “Where there is no imagination, there is no horror.”