THE JOYS OF SCHOOL COSTUMES

I know you know what I'm talking about when I say 'the joys of school costumes'. Today was my day of the costume, you need to know that I don't sew and I take my hat off to all of you who do because you are MILES ahead of those of us who don't. For those of us who don't sew just the word costume sends our heart racing, our voice moves up an octave and depending on the difficulty of the costume our teeth can either clench or chatter uncontrollably.

Let me share my success story with you......

My daughter returned home from school today with a huge smile on her face informing us that she was named BEST SUSAN COSTUME (it was Narnia day)! Needless to say I breathed a huge sigh of relief and the feeling of joy I felt was and remains hard to explain. I guess it's a mum thing.

Some of you may be reading this and wondering how I accomplished the costume saga. How I didn't find myself at midnight the night before the event scrambling through the house convincing myself that the odd bits I'd pulled together would work. All the while wondering how I was going to convince my 8 year old when she awoke the next morning that this mix and match costume was, in fact, unique and amazing. I would have tried to explain to her how individuality was so important and that it didn't matter that everyone else had well thought out costumes.

I succeeded in this because I chose to make the costume a priority in my day rather than leaving it till the last minute and doing the panicked 'scavenger hunt' I mentioned above. After dropping the kids at school I set out on my voyage to obtain a GREAT costume making sure I didn’t break the bank in the process.

I had discussed the costume with my daughter and understood what she was hoping for. This gave me the head start that I needed. I knew what she wanted not what I wanted her to want - this made my job much easier. Within 2 hours I had all the bits I needed to pull together a fantastic costume.

Much to my daughters surprise when she returned home from school yesterday I had the entire costume ready for a 'try on'. I instantly knew she was happy. Last night as I did my final check on the children, before I finally fell into bed, my heart warmed as I walked into her room and there lay her costume ready for morning.....she was set.

Today I sent her off to school with a confidence that was so pleasing. I realize that it is only a costume but trust me when I say this wasn't just a costume exercise. Today was a day for my 8 year old to grow in confidence, to strengthen within and to continue to trust her mum in the smallest of things. Our connection strengthened because I chose to care and prioritize correctly.

To those of you who are great with costumes keep going. To those of you who struggle in this area I encourage you to make a plan when these projects get dropped on your lap and know that ‘because you care’ will be seen regardless of the end result.

Before I sign off I would like to say a huge thank you to my mother who was and is a GREAT costume maker. You taught me well mum and today all your hours of sewing and creating paid off down the line. Today you impacted your grand daughter you would have been proud of my work.... I love you!

Susan

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