Costumes

Everyone who knows me knows that I love so many things about homeschooling. One of the things that I love is that my children have the opportunity to fully be themselves, without feeling as though there is something wrong with who they are.

But every once in a while, I bump up against the reality that the rest of the world doesn’t work so much that way. That, if everyone was fully themselves, we’d see a heck of a lot more variety in this world. That my children are not subject to peer pressure yet, and that they don’t know what children their age think is cool.

And I’m down with all that. But sometimes…let’s just say that sometimes I wouldn’t mind a little less individuality.

A good example of this is the story of Aidan’s fourth birthday. We discussed many possible ideas for a theme for his party–baseball, animals, army. I told him that he could choose the theme. (This was before I was in the habit of issuing caveats along with promises.) He informed me that he wanted his party theme to be “ice”.

Ice.

ICE, people.

Oh, sure, it sounds clever. But you can’t exactly run to Party City for the full range of “Ice Party”–themed party supplies. And did I mention that I’m not exactly great at party themes anyway? You try coming up with ice-themed games for 4 year olds!

At the moment this rabid non-comformity is manifested in my children’s choice of this year’s Halloween costumes. I don’t like Halloween, but I do it because my husband loves it. Because I don’t like it, I’m not interested in putting a lot of time and effort into costumes. I am willing to make them a cape or cowboy vest, but it’s hard for me to get into it for Halloween.

But…this year circumstances converged to make me willing. Patrick’s new unit needed volunteers for a Halloween event on post. I want to be available to support the unit, so I planned to participate. And then we discovered that there was to be a costume contest. And my children each have been wanting costumes that would make fair entries in a costume contest. And they’d both use them again. And I also realized that I haven’t had as many opportunities to make fun things for Emerson…he has Aidan’s castoffs. And Aidan could do much of the extensive work that kept me from waning to make his. And and and…

…and so we made the costumes.

And, as it turned out, Aidan was the only sniper, in an authentic ghillie suit (the camouflage snipers where) and Emerson was the only four year old British Redcoat…wait…the only British Redcoat of any age…that we saw this Halloween. What was that? You say you aren’t surprised?

I will say that, if you are going to dress as a sniper, an Army post is the place to do it, because no one has to ask what you are. They will just holler out the car window as they drive past you trick-or-treating to “Look at that ghillie suit! I want HIM downrange with ME!”

Patrick took the boys trick-or-treating and he reported that several ladies who answered their doors made them wait while they got their husbands to see our boys’ costumes. He also told me that Emerson marched the entire trip, and kept his musket cradled in his palm, leaning against his shoulder, for the whole night.

The official costume contest results: we went to a big neighborhood fair where the boys each won third place in their respective age categories. And as for the big contest? We thought when Halloween rolled around and we had not heard results, that someone else had taken the prize. But it turned out that the judges were just a little behind on contacting the winners. Emerson won for cutest kid and Aidan won for most creative. Wow!

Oh, and a piece of advice…if you want to have some fun, take a 4 year old Redcoat with you to Colonial Williamsburg. What could be more fun then to see him scowl at a costumed gate-keeper who called him a “bloody lobsterback”?

I had to distract him frequently to keep my pint-sized curmudgeon from noticing that people were snapping pictures of him.

Ahh, that’s the way of my children. “Don’t notice what I am doing over here, keep moving, nothing to see!” It would sure be a lot easier for them to blend in, if they weren’t wearing the Most Creative costume.

~ by zhappyhomemaker on November 11, 2008.