The Dark Knight

When is it too early to wear a Halloween costume? Is Oct. 1 too soon? And when is it too late? When are you too old? Where should you and where shouldn’t you wear a costume? Obviously church is out. But let’s consider the public library, the grocery store, and the ever-popular front stoop of a perfect stranger. And by which algorithm has the general populous constructed to determine the answer to these costuming questions?

Well, I have an answer for toddler boys. If you want to be Batman for Halloween, be Batman. If you want to wear your Batman costume 24/7 for the entire month of October, wear it. If I have to take you to the grocery store when you are wearing said costume, I’ll take you. Gladly. The question then becomes, when will my attitude about this change?

When you are 4? 24? 74?

Until then, I hope we have many more outings like the one taken Monday night. In which I actually had a man say, “Nice abs.” Then in a fluster he thinks I thought he meant me, when he meant you. No worries, of course I knew he meant you. And so I ask the stoic Batman Cooper, “Do you feel as fantastic as you look?”

“Yes,” he solemnly replies.

Do you, dear reader, do you?