Letting Go: Halloween Costume

While I am very laid back about most parenting things, one thing that I am not laid back about is Moose's appearance.  I feel like the way that she looks is a direct reflection on me.  She is a toddler, so obviously I don't buy her expensive clothes for everyday use, but she always looks impeccably dressed when we go out in public.  Her clothes are clean and ironed, they match perfectly, and she always has a bow.

This obsession feeling of mine also translates over to Halloween costumes.  Growing up, my husband and I both always had homemade Halloween costumes, so we looked fabulous every year.  Because I have the craftiness of a brick wall, I am the person who pays whose parents pay for Moose to have adorable costumes.  This was her last Halloween.

Tell me this isn't the cutest thing you have ever seen?!

This year, we got the same catalogue in the mail and she and I sat down to look at it.  She immediately chose an owl, which I was fine with because the costume looked adorable.  We ordered it and it came in the mail yesterday.

As soon as she saw it, she freaked out.  No matter what my husband and I did to ease her into it, she was terrified.  She didn't settle down until the costume was safely back in the box.  Obviously I am not going to traumatize my toddler over a costume, so we sent it back and I decided that she could be a princess, VT cheerleader, or something else that closely resembles "normal" clothes.

My husband suggested that we go to the Halloween store to see if we could find something she was not afraid of.  If not, she could be one of the above mentioned ideas.  I agreed, so off we went.

As a side note, those Halloween stores are so creepy, and not because of the stuff they sell.  They are like the retail version of carnivals.  They are dirty, kind of scary,  and the people who work there are definitely "carnies."  Totally creepy.

Back to my point though, as soon as we walked into the toddler section, it was as if the heavens shined down on her because there it was, right in front of her: a Cookie Monster costume.  She LOVES Cookie Monster.

As soon as we tried it on her, she was in love.  She was beaming from ear to ear and kept saying, "Cookie Monster."  You would have thought the kid hit the lottery (if the lottery rewarded cookies and Elmo stuffed animals).

She was elated, Josh was thrilled, and I was devastated.  Seriously devastated.  All that I could think was. "My kid is going to be the kid in her class with the cheap-ass stupid Cookie Monster costume.  Noo!"

We bought it anyway, with the knowledge that it can be returned until October 18th.  As we drove to dinner, Moose was clutching her costume, filled with joy, I was reeling in the fact that my kid was going to have the worst costume, and Josh was making me feel like shit for trying to take away her joy.

Clutching her Cookie Monster costume in the car.

After she went to bed, I spent hours scouring the Internet for nicer Cookie Monster or Elmo costumes and came up empty.  I found some adorable tutu dresses, but they are all sleeveless, which is a no-go here at the end of October.  To say I was stressed is putting it mildly.  My OCD was in high gear as I pictured her marching in her Halloween parade with her cheap, shedding, Cookie Monster costume.  At 1:00am, I finally decided to sleep on it.

With 7 hours of sleep under my belt, I was able to wake up with new perspective and realize that I needed to let go.  The costume makes her happy and that is what Halloween is about.  Plus, when I saw her in it this morning (we tried it on again), she really did look cute.

Look at the joy on her face.  She is SO 

excited to be dressed at Cookie Monster!

Would I prefer that she wore something else?  Absolutely.  Is it the end of the world?  Absolutely not.  Is it worth taking away the pure joy that spreads across her face when she sees the Cookie Monster costume?  Not in a million years.

So, there it is...I am letting go.  And, let's face it, she does make the cutest Cookie Monster I have ever seen.  :)