Toby, Eleanor and Callista, I’m writing this blog entry for you, for your future days in therapy, so you can hold up a calendar with Oct. 31, 2013, circled in red marker to pinpoint when your mother started breaking your hearts.
(If we’re honest, it was probably when I decided triage parenting – neediest one tended to first – was our style of choice with three infants and not enough arms to go around.)
We limit the number of television shows ETC watch for many reasons, but the number one reason they don’t watch many shows is because they bug the shit out of me.
Dora happens to be one of those.
Sunday morning, I was trying to get breakfast finally made amid all the “Help me, Mama” requests of the potty/play/fight/time-out/boo-boo kiss/etc. nature, and I let the TV keep running after an episode of Yo Gabba Gabba. They were quietly watching a Halloween Dora episode, and I could finally make breakfast, so I just did. not. care. that I was listening to, “VAMANOS! LET’S GO!” (Seriously, Dora. Why must you yell everything? Set an example and use your quiet voice.)
And then I heard it.
Toby: I wanna be a bumblebee for Halloween!
Eleanor: I wanna wear a butterfly costume for Halloween!
Callista: I wanna be a flower for Halloween!
Me, poking my head into the living room: But, you’re pumpkins, remember? You love your pumpkin costumes!
Them: Repeat earlier lines, with more emphasis and volume.
Oh, boy.
This is what I get for being proud of myself for sneaking last year’s costumes (three Pottery Barn Kids pumpkins I bought barely used and for a tiny price) past them. They were super excited when I pulled them out. They still have no clue they’re last year’s costumes, but instead of me skipping into Halloween pleased with my money-saving scheme, I’m dragging my feet and feeling guilty.
They’ve been happily telling people for weeks now that they’re going to be pumpkins, but they’re now saying, “I’m gonna be a bumblebee/butterfly/flower with such glee that it breaks my heart to stand behind them, silently shaking my head and mouthing, “Pumpkins.” It’s even worse (albeit adorable in a Michelle Tanner kind of way) to hear, “But I don’t waaannnt to be a pumpkin,” when I try to talk up their recycled costumes.
Sigh. Dora, I like you even less now that you taught my kids they can have opinions about Halloween costumes. I dread what other opinions are going to spring forth from this valuable Nick Jr. lesson. The occasional daily outfit opinion pops up along with the always daily underwear opinion. I’m not ready for input from three near 3-year-olds!
I really did think about scrambling to make new costumes on the cheap, but the next thing I knew, two days passed, and at the start of writing this, I’m facing two remaining days plus needing to stay super duper cheap. Naturally, I’m running scared from the idea. I just know I’d spend too much and wouldn’t be able to pull off decent-looking costumes and would use the pumpkins anyhow, so I’m giving up.
I’m going with my original plan, the “They won’t remember their costumes. They’ll have fun regardless. They’ll look adorable and stay comfortable. The candy will distract them from what they’re wearing. Did I mention they look adorable in these second-run costumes?” plan.
Only, now they can read about it. Oops. Sorry, kiddos.
Feel good about your plan – Halloween costumes are ridiculously priced and only worn once or twice. I conned my girls into wearing a borrowed costume and a recycled one from last year. It is true – the candy and excitement will overshadow the costume disappointment. I’m thinking the disappointment will begin in the Curwen household when I go with family, at home birthday parties this year instead of the kid-desired, parent-dreaded Chuck E Cheese.
My 2.5 year old wants no part in dressing up, at all. Yet she wants a costume, a Jake and the Neverland Pirates one to be specific. I as her terrible awful mother refuses to pay 20.00 for a costume she will refuse to wear when the time comes. Plus the weather is going to be terrible and trick or treating may not happen anyway. She will definitely have something for her future therapist.
You could also buy some dollar store wings and have them be bumblebee pumpkin and a butterfly pumpkin. Oh and do you have a flower bow or headband to make a flower pumpkin?
That said,I think being pumpkins again won’t scar them and they will be so happy to be trick or treating.
Don’t feel bad! Chances are, at this age, even if you had let them decide a few weeks ago what they wanted to be (a bee! a flower! a butterfly!) they would change their minds by tomorrow anyway, and you’d be in exactly the same place you are now!
We had something similar happen to us. Mason was super excited about being a skunk (again) this year for Halloween until his friend said that last year he got to be a pirate. Ever since then, Mason has been dead set on being a pirate for Halloween and throws a tantrum the second the skunk costume is mentioned. #sigh I was really hoping to see that adorable “Lil’ Stinker” tattoo on his plush skunk butt one more year….
Hurray for toddler amnesia. I was able to re-use the adorable dinosaur costume that Colin wore last year (that I picked up post-Hallowen the year before for $3). It’s size 2-3T and was huge on him last year at age 2 1/2, and wasn’t much better this year at 3 1/2. I’m sure I could get one more year out of it if he’s still game next year