Parenting Guru: Skipping the Costume this Halloween

sarahlynne

The costumes all look the same for boys. Dinosaur, teddy bear, or another type of cuddly animal like a monkey or kangaroo. My son would look cute in all of them, but each time we walk through a Target or Carter's, I just can't bring myself to buy one.

I thought about other options. He could be a baseball player, a pirate or a swing dancer. He looks really cute in hats. But, I don't know how to sew and I couldn't find a zoot suit in size "toddler." Imagine that. So…

I looked online. He could be a hot dog, a garbage can or a juice box. A juice box? Yup. Apparently, there's a costume already made for that and pretty much anything else you can find in the grocery store. Do people really get excited about dressing up babies like a barbeque condiment?

I just wasn't into any of it.

And then I realized why.

I'm not the kind of parent to move childhood along quickly. As much as I love holidays, (and I really, really do) I believe there's a time and place to celebrate them. One year old birthday parties are about the cake tasting and close family, holiday gifts aren't necessary until the child is old enough to understand why he is receiving them and a Halloween costume is not meaningful until he can pick it out himself. Yes, my toddler could dress up as Batman or Buzz Lightyear, but if he doesn't even know who they are, what are we really doing?

So, what was the final verdict? One of my son's favorite pastimes is waving at everyone he sees. So, on Halloween night, we are going to go out and walk around the neighborhood so he can enthusiastically greet everyone he sees. That's what he loves to do, so that's what we'll focus on this year. And as for the costume...

Pajamas. Halloween themed, just for fun. Maybe next year, he'll be interested in elephants or juice boxes and then he can dress like one. But for now, I want to focus on what's important to him; watching and waving. Next year, maybe he'll be ready to trick-or-treat. But this'll be the only year I'll get to push him around in the stroller while he looks at the pedestrians with awe and amazement. Childhood goes fast enough as it is. So I'm going to slow down and take a stroll with my son on Halloween eve. We'll walk slowly. I don't want us to miss anything.

Sarahlynne, MEd, is a Parenting Guru.