gender roles

OK. I don't know what goes on where you live, but around here it's already started. Halloween. The Kiddos have already decided what they want to be, and costumes are already in the works.

In years past, The Babe has always been some sort of Disney Princess. Well, I know Tinkerbell isn't technically a princess, but you get the idea. This year, The Babe announced a desire to dress as a doctor, and while I know that many of the finest doctors are women, it's quite a large step away from being a Disney Princess. I was pleased with The Babe's decision, and I bought her a pair of real scrubs from a real hospital supplier's website. They are perfect, and cheaper than the doctor "costumes" on the halloween sites.

Last year, my husband picked out a pirate costume for The Boy. It's technically a Captain Jack Sparrow costume, and it is very cute. It was gi-nor-mous on The Boy last year, and we kind of planned that he would wear it again this year. He looked so adorable in it. Well, The Boy is at the age now where he has a mind of his own. Certainly when The Babe was this age, we let her pick her own costume.... and, well, The Boy does not want to be a pirate. He is very insistant. He absolutely does not want to wear that outfit.

A couple of weeks ago, I asked The Boy what he wants to be for Halloween. I was pushing the pirate costume pretty hard. "Look how cool it is - - Look, there's a sword - - Hey, this part glows in the dark!" The Boy was not buying it. He does not want to be a pirate. His answer? What he just HAS to be this year? A ladybug.

I am, of course, tickled pink! I would love to dress The Boy as a ladybug, and I think he would be adorable. My husband is not as excited. He understands, of course, that if this is what The Boy would truly like to be, then how do we force him to be something else? We can't. I have asked The Boy several times over the past few weeks what he wants to be, and each time his answer is the same. "ladybug, mommy! ladybug!". So, today I bought him a cute little ladybug costume. It's basically a heavy velour ladybug-looking poncho with a hood that has antennae on it. I bought him some cheap black sweat pants to wear underneath and I'll get him a black sweatshirt, too. My husband is not upset at all, so I need to give him credit. He says he's just disappointed because the pirate costume is so cool (and it is), but he agrees about The Boy: best ladybug ever!