My son’s Halloween costume came in the mail the other day (thanks Gigi). He was SO excited, but I think he thought it was like a toy Spider-Man instead of a costume because when we got it out of the box, he wanted absolutely nothing to do with putting it on LOL.
He slowly started playing with the mask, and then within about 20 minutes, he was asking to put it on.
And next thing we knew, he was doing every activity with this costume on, and we have only been able to get him to keep it off when he’s sleeping. Or when we were on a trip out of state because I was not packing it hahaha.
So of course, when we got home from our vacation, the first thing he wanted to do was put his costume back on.
And when it was time to go to the store, he asked, “Can I wear Spidey to the store?”
I paused for a minute.
My gut reaction was UH NO. We will not be the people wearing a Spider-Man costume to the store that everyone stares at and judges, lol.
I went back and forth in my mind over and over during that quick pause. And I kept landing on how much joy such a simple thing brought him.
Letting the Little Things Be Little
It’s funny how sometimes my brain goes straight to logistical thinking.
I thought, “I can’t let this happen, then he will ALWAYS want to wear this.”
Or, “He can’t just wear costumes to the store. That’s not realistic.”
And of course, “What will people think?”
I decided to let him wear it and not make a big deal out of a small thing.
And I’m just so glad I did.
Because as we were walking through the parking lot to the store, and this little hand in a Spidey costume grabbed my hand, I thought, “Gosh, I just want to bottle this moment up because I KNOW it won’t last long.”
Every phase goes so fast. The hard ones and the easy ones.
And the phase of him being obsessed with his Spider-Man costume won’t last long.
Just like how he used to call cows “moos” when we saw them driving by.
Or how every time he heard someone say “dinosaur,” he would respond with, “Dinosaur RAWR.”
I think I’m becoming less concerned about following the mundane “rules” we made up for what’s acceptable, and caring more about finding the joy in life where we can.
Not in a “do what makes you happy” kind of way.
But in a “let’s not take life so seriously and make a big deal out of things that aren’t big deals” kind of way.
To say “yes” to more things, because we already have to say “no” to so much and be responsible and all that. 😂
I can sometimes go straight to “no” when it could be an easy “yes” that makes both of us smile and ends up being a sweet memory too.
And a couple other things happened too
My son couldn’t care less what people thought. I was reminded of his innocence that I love and want to preserve as long as I can.
I watch as society is so quick to always be looking toward the next thing, the next advancement, the next goal or milestone, and getting there faster than ever.
I did that myself, and I missed out on enjoying much of the life happening right in front of me.
Why can’t we just stay here a little bit longer? What’s the rush?
And soak it in.
Plus it was an awesome relationship builder.
Someone said, “What’s up, Spider-Man?” and others told him how cool his costume was. It brought out the silly kidlikeness in the adults. It brought laughter and a few quick exchanges with strangers.
In a world where people often feel isolated, I always love opportunities for more of that.
I don’t want to be cliché and say “let your kid wear the costume” (I actually had that as the title of my blog and then wanted to gag a little HAHA).
Because you don’t need to be told what to do by another person on the internet.
So instead, I just wanted to share that I let my kid wear a costume to the store and I’m so glad I did….
In case your kid is begging you to wear their costume and you’re having a mild inner crisis in your head like I was. 🙂
Much love and I’m rooting for you,
Brittany <3
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