The Costume Dilemma

As we talked about Halloween last night, I found myself wondering just how these children would celebrate the holiday that most kids love the most. Would they dress up? Would they be allowed to trick-or-treat outside?

Each one of them had in mind the ideal costume. The little girl with the pink Crocs who was sitting on my lap wanted to be a mermaid. The boys wanted to be a vampire, a monster, and a spider (no, not Spiderman but an arachnid with 8 legs).

I was mentally checking them off. I had a Little Mermaid size 6 that would be perfect. A cool mask would do for the vampire and monster – I must still have those in a box in the attic. I even came home and researched how to make a spider costume.

I checked with the staff after the reading session to learn that they are planning a Halloween party in the house on Monday before Halloween. The children will not go out on the street to trick-or-treat, but they will all enjoy the in-house fun.

Then it occurred to me that these were not the only children in the house and there would likely be new families by Halloween. It would be horrible for 4 children to show up with nice costumes and others to have nothing to wear.

So as much as I would like to give these children a special Halloween, I can’t do it if it will cause unhappiness for others. I will call on Monday to find out if there is something else I can do that everyone can enjoy. Maybe some chocolate cupcakes with orange frosting for the party.

The Little Mermaid and the homemade Kermit the Frog will have to return to the attic in the hope that grandchildren will someday remind me how cute my children looked so long ago.