Baby Blase

Halloween started off harmless enough. I quick trip to Etsy to find some kind of costume – because there is no way in H-E-double-hockey-sticks that I am ready to start MAKING HALLOWEEN COSTUMES like you crazy I mean, craftily-inclined people out there (and that includes you mom)!

Charlie Brown t-shirt – check. Shorts – check. Socks – check. Shoes – check.

Whew! Done.

OK… fine. That was a little TOO easy. So I made a sign. A conversation bubble. Again, not too difficult.

Getting a photo of our kid standing under it, however… therein lies the challenge.

After dinner we walked up the street to a neighbor’s house. A professional photographer by profession, Deborah set up a photo studio on the driveway so that trick-or-treat-ers could get their moody, black & white photo taken. Last year H was a mindless-blob so his shoot went swimmingly.

This year he was endlessly fascinated by the lights, backdrop, bowls that contained mounds of shiny-wrapped-pieces of “oh, that’s just trash – you don’t need it – just leave it”. So, he certainly wasn’t interested in standing still and allowing me to hold a piece of cardboard above his head.

Then up walks a beautiful little 3 year-old fairy in a sparkly turquoise dress, tiara and silk-flower wand. H was enamored… until… he saw what one can only assume to be her evil captors. She was flanked by to adult-sized werewolves with menacing teeth, furry hands and razor-sharp claws. He tried to hold it together. He gave us his best I‘m-scared-face with pursed lips and clenched hands. But, then he lost it. He grabbed me and held on for dear life. I told him they were just dressed up – that IT IS FUN! He didn’t buy it. No matter how I tried to shield him – to keep them out of his line of sight – he would bob his head from side to side to keep an eye on them. And each time he saw them the tears would start. Even after the wolves de-headed themselves, smiled and said hi. The damage was done. Our little tough guy was severely traumatized by Halloween.

I even considered attempting to replace the fear with high-fructose corn syrup, but, thought better of it. Instead we high-tailed it home and let him have a few bites of ice cream.

Deborah did manage to take some photos… we have no idea what she got, but, I will post it when she delivers the print. Each year she has an installation of her Halloween costume shoot and gives the families a print for participating.

Listening: Atlas Sound