The Oyster at Hallowe'en

[radegund]

Yesterday, I posted a plea to plan_survive: I'd realised that the parent-and-toddler group Hallowe'en party was this morning, not next Monday, and had absolutely no idea what to do about it. (Would Oisín consent to dress up? If so, how was I going to make an acceptable costume in half an hour with no preparation? I asked for suggestions - and was offered several great ideas. 'S a good community, that.)

This evening, I posted this follow-up, which I'm cross-posting because I want to tag it here.

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What actually happened was this: At about 9 this morning, I mentioned to Oisín that today was a special day at the toddler group because there was going to be a Hallowe'en party -

"Yes, and I'm going to dress up as a apple!" he said, with the most gloriously confident and excited smile I've ever seen.

Yup. Turns out he was entirely up to date and relaxed about the whole thing - had even decided what he was going as - and I needn't have fretted at all. (His bear, he also mentioned, would be dressing up as "paper". Since she is usually wrapped in a white muslin square, toga-like, this didn't take much doing.)

He wanted to be a green apple, but we couldn't find any sufficiently green clothes, so he said a red apple would do. He wore his bright red trousers and a huge red T-shirt belonging to niallm. We put two cushions up the T-shirt and a belt around his waist below the cushions. I cut a big pair of leaves from green paper and attached them to his red and grey striped bobble hat. It looked remarkably effective, actually, for a costume put together in ten minutes on absolutely no notice. But that's not the point: the point is that he was satisfied with it. He was, in fact, heart-meltingly gleeful and excited about the whole deal - grinning all the way to the party, running in to see what everyone else was dressed up as, and basically ... just. I LOVE HIM.

[I had to leave the party early to go to work, and when I collected Oisín later from H's house (H being his minder), he told me as soon as I arrived that one of the other children had broken one of his leaves. H explained that a younger child had torn the leaf, and that O had been upset and wanted me but had cheered up quickly enough. I hate hearing stories like that, obviously, because I don't know what actually happened. Oisín declared himself to be still cross on our way home (and he also, oddly, began to insist that the leaf was not broken, but "bumped", and that the damage had occurred in a shop, when someone had stepped on it). We sellotaped the leaf when we got home, and I think he felt better. Such small tragedies were never dealt with very well when I was growing up; I hope I did an OK job.]

Anyway. I think in future I'll try not to project my own worries onto my child, but rather find out if there's a problem first. Oh, and I need to remember how BRILLIANT it is that he has his own inner life, of which I know nothing. I adore the sheer inventiveness of dressing up as an apple. I never would've thought of it. And if I had, it wouldn't have been the same, at all.

Comments

[biascut.livejournal.com]

This is AWESOME. Oh Mr no-longer-Unny! I miss you!

[ainetl.livejournal.com]

i still seem to be figuring this out and it always seems to surprise me, that what i may be worried about it really not a big issue to kelli, or that what she is worried about i haven't even thought about. never a dull moment.

actually sounds like a great costume - hehe so cute he had thought of it.

i love the word 'cross' as related to a feeling. i've been finding myself reverting to words that my grandparents used, which i've decided are really good words. i mean how much better is 'cross' than 'pissed off'? and 'splendid' and 'lovely' are much better than 'great'. however i haven't noticed such limited vocabulary there in ireland (and other places), so maybe this all seems ridiculous.

[londonn7.livejournal.com]

That's a lovely story....I was home two weeks ago and Fi was having exactly the same 'costumes for Halloween' moment, and feeling guilty about the fact that with three children she was no longer able to spend the same amount of time making costumes....E was perfectly happy with a witch's outfit which cost a princely one euro fifty in the Pound Shop, which saved the day....

I'll be home from 7 to 11 November and would love to see you all.