It happened for the first time last week. As I was rushing around the house getting lunch together and kissing the tops of my children’s heads, Joseph said, “Oh! Today is dress up like your favorite character day!”
“What?” I halted in my steps.
“Too late, bud,” said my ex, ignoring my glare.
“Who is your favorite character?” I prayed to the Patron Saint of Mothers—St. Anne—that his favorite book character of the moment was not a zombie or any sort of animal.
“Jack from The Magic Treehouse.”
“Sorry, Joseph,” my ex said from where he packed backpacks. This time he didn’t ignore my glare. “He needs to learn to be prepared.”
Which, of course, is the difference between mothers and fathers.
“What does Jack look like?”
“He wears a plaid shirt, glasses, and is very smart.”
“Does Jack by chance wear jeans and sneakers?”
Joseph nodded in the affirmative.
“Perfect! Daddy can get you one of your plaid shirts and I’ll find a pair of glasses.” In a house full of dress up clothes, it would not make sense that we didn’t have some sort of glasses or at least a pair of sunglasses with lenses that can be popped out. In a pinch, we’d have some pipe cleaners I could fashion into glasses—all before I needed to leave for work approximately two minutes from the announcement.
I tore apart the kids’ bedroom and my craft supplies with no lucky. I finally remembered I had an old pair of wire framed glasses in a nightstand drawer. I poped the lenses out, handed them to my child who was having his hair parted neatly on the side, kissed his cheek and walked out the door feeling victorious.
Have you had to do a last-minute project for your child?
