Wednesday, April 20, 2011

The Return of the Halloween Costume


Ummm, excuse me, what day is it? Yeah, how hot is it outside? Hot? That's what I thought. But guess what my kids are doing? Lounging in their Halloween costumes, and eating cheese.


Through the years I've gone up and down about my feelings about costumes. And now I really -- I do mean honestly -- have no shame or embarassment to take a child to the grocery story though he be in full regalia. I am, however, exhausted. It's been a full three years of dress-up, people.


Dress-up play is great. But it makes a colossal mess. First you must decide how to store the costumes. Then you must decide how to clean them. Then there's the whole debacle of a play date when every child in the neighborhood is fighting over the pirate's hat and the turtle's slippers. Not to mention the mess a gaggle of toddlers can make in a dress-up chest.


And really, I should have thought about these things WAY before I introduced costumes into the house. You accidentally set precedents on how many costume changes a child is permitted in one day, how many costumes they can wear at once, and how many days in a row they are allowed to wear them. In a word: exhausting.


Do you suppose there is a parent's handbook on dress-up clothes? That is a manual I could write.

Aside from the complaints, there is certain amusement to be had along the way. I have genuinely relished shopping with Batman and standing in line with Darth. After all it is the closest I'll come to celebrity.

3 comments:

Glenda said...

Wonderful commentary....almost as good as the costumes!

PS: by the way, my security word right now is farying....perhaps that is what you could call costume day...the kids are just farying.

laurel said...

Great!!!!

Rachel said...

Between your lego collection and costumes, Crew would be in Heaven at your house. We really need to visit.