"Actually, if it's okay, mom, Erin texted me about this party going on..." you give your mom your best 'This is really important to me' facial expression; it's the only way you're going to get out of taking your little brother out for the next hour at least.

Your mom chuckles knowingly. "If I know your friend Erin, the party probably involves arson and spoiled eggs. I'll tell you what: if you take your brother trick-or-treating, you can have the car this weekend. No questions asked. Fair enough?"

"Then of course I can take the little guy trick-or-treating, Mom," you say. The fake smile on your face should effectively communicate to Beth and Jason that you arm is being twisted here while simultaneously letting your mom knows she'll owe you big for this one. Although the car thing is pretty cool. Mom always does try to be pretty cool when she can, you think.

"Thank you sooo much, dear," your mom says with a little sarcastic pinch of your cheek, "you can walk him around for a while and then come back and watch all the movies you want. I'll be back late and as long as you get your brother to bed on time, you can stay up as late as you want."

Beth and Jason looked fairly annoyed at first, but hearing your mom effectively give you all the run of the house for the rest of night helps cheer them up quick. "Well, thank you so much, ma'am," Jason says as Beth nods along, "you sure you don't want to stay home and watch Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama with us instead?"

"Jason," your mom says, "you have no idea how tempting that is. But I think I'll just see you all later."

As you help your mom get going, and after Beth playfully smacks Jason on the head, you start to think about how it won't necessarily be that lame to take your brother out for a little while. You haven't had to do it for a couple years, and you sort of feel cut off from the spirit of Halloween. You aren't entirely sure that there is a spirit of Halloween, but maybe there is one... or maybe you're just trying to psyche yourself up for being a good sibling.

"Let me say this before we go," your brother announces from the top of the stairs puffing his chest out and pulling his cape out wide as he surveys his unwilling trick-or-treating chaperones, "Batman wouldn't call it an early night before he filled two entire bags full of candy, and I. Am. Batman!"

While your brother giggles maniacally and makes his way dramatically down the stairs, you stare sardonically at Beth and Jason as they grudgingly shrug on their jackets. "Have I ever told you guys how much I envy you both being only children?"

While you all get a laugh out of that, Beth snaps her fingers. Leaning in to whisper, Beth asks you: "Why don't we just go buy the little guy a couple cheap bags of candy at the store and then get back to our movies a lot sooner?"

If you decide it's worth a few bucks to fill your brother up with candy, click HERE.

If you don't feel like wasting money when your brother can wander around for free candy, click HERE.