{"id":12274,"date":"2015-11-22T10:18:34","date_gmt":"2015-11-22T18:18:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/?p=12274"},"modified":"2015-11-22T10:26:33","modified_gmt":"2015-11-22T18:26:33","slug":"halloweens-great-debate-childrens-costumes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/halloweens-great-debate-childrens-costumes\/","title":{"rendered":"Halloween’s Great Debate; Children’s Costumes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Okay, so I know its been three weeks since Halloween, but I need to talk about something. \u00a0As photos from Halloween still filter in through social media posts of friends and family, I keep seeing these shared photos of children in amazing costumes depicting subculture\/horror\/geek characters with headings such as “parenting done right” and\u00a0you KNOW that child has no clue who they are dressed up to look like and, I don’t know, call me old fashioned, but that just doesn’t seem like a nice thing to do.<\/p>\n

\"ADORABLE!!<\/a>
ADORABLE!! Yes!!! Appropriate?? Umm…. ?\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

If these small kids DO know who they are depicting and are super excited about it, I’m concerned for other reasons entirely, but\u00a0that’s a whole separate topic I might talk about soon, but not today. \u00a0Oh, and I’m not even going to get into the costumes that are just plain sick; a baby dressed up like a box of cigarettes or a box of condoms or a bottle of liquor or a terrorist… (yes, it’s all been done… google it.)<\/p>\n

For today, I’m just\u00a0about the costumes parents put on their kids when the kids have no idea who they are. \u00a0Is that a terrific or a terrible idea? \u00a0Is it really “parenting done right”? \u00a0I’ll admit, I look at those photos and think… I could TOTALLY do that because it’s awesome! \u00a0And then I remember my children are tiny humans, not dress up dolls here for my amusement. \u00a0(What!?! Bummer, right??)<\/p>\n

Here are a few examples of costumes I’ve seen;
\nToddler Predator
\nToddler Alien
\nToddler or preschool Sweeny Todd and Mrs. Lovett
\nToddler Master Chief
\nToddler Call of Duty characters
\nToddler\u00a0vampires, zombies, werewolves, etc., with\u00a0blood \u00a0and gore all over
\nBeetlejuice and Lydia (maybe okay?)
\nThe SAW puppet
\nAny of the horror staples; Jason, Freddy, Leatherface, Norman Bates, Ghostface, Michael Myers, etc.
\nSADAKO!!! (I wouldn’t sleep for a month if I did that to my kid)
\nA toddler “Chucky” and\/or “Bride of Chucky”
\nToddler Hannibal Lector, complete with straight jacket and dolly
\nAlex from Clockwork Orange
\nA six year old in a “cone boob” Madonna
\nGage from Pet Cemetery… after he\u00a0was brought back, tiny “play” knife in hand.
\n… and this is just off the top of my head. \u00a0There are SO MANY MORE out there and it just seems to be a trend for parents, especially geek parents, to use their child as a canvas of their own amusement to show off at conventions or on Halloween.<\/p>\n

So,\u00a0is that okay? \u00a0I mean, it’s not even really so much about “age appropriate” as it is about the fact that if\u00a0our kids don’t even know the characters they are dressing up like, how can that be fun for them? \u00a0Is that fair of us to deny them the opportunity to choose their costumes themselves?<\/p>\n

I asked myself the same questions this year as I began the process of deciding if I wanted my kids to dress up for a day at ComicCon and then again as we considered what we would do for Halloween. \u00a0I had and still have\u00a0SO MANY ideas but I continually hold back because the vast majority of them are\u00a0characters my kids don’t know yet because they are only three and five years old. \u00a0I feel like there should be a line there… a line we don’t get to cross. \u00a0It’s like wearing a concert tee for a show you never went to. \u00a0It’s just wrong and it actually makes me feel bad to think about making that choice for them.<\/p>\n

Let me just say here, remember – my kids are preschool age. \u00a0They just watched Labyrinth for the first time a month ago and it scared them. \u00a0They don’t have the attention span for Princess Bride or Goonies, and both Coraline and Jurassic Park gives my son nightmares. \u00a0We are baby-stepping our way into things, here. Superheroes are cool, Batman is the forever favorite, Star Wars is God, Star Trek is… well, I’m working on it. \u00a0We watch Dr. Who while I clean the house and anything that has been turned into a Lego game is totally acceptable. \u00a0We mostly still watch Disney Jr and preschool shows on Netflix\u00a0and, as\u00a0they mature, we try new things and see what works and what doesn’t. \u00a0(See my series on preschool programming from last year for more on that) \u00a0It’s a learning process for us all, but there are just some things mine are not ready for. Other kids their age might be and that’s totally cool – I’m not judging here, I’m just genuinely wondering what the general opinion actually is.<\/p>\n

Is it weird that I don’t want to dress up my kids in costumes of actual murderers or slasher movie characters or horror film aliens? \u00a0(I forgot to add that I once saw a first grader dressed up like Carrie once… bloody dress and everything. \u00a0It was seriously disturbing and the parents thought it was awesome. \u00a0The kid… I don’t think she really cared either way actually, but I know the blood on her face was annoying her.) Or is it really not that big a deal? \u00a0Should it be totally acceptable to dress them up like Atreu and the Empress even though they’ve never seen that movie? \u00a0Because I really, really want to and the only reason I don’t is because I feel like it’s not okay since they haven’t seen that movie yet. \u00a0What about a preschool\u00a0SubZero or a toddler Lara Croft?\u00a0\u00a0One I really wanted to do is Doctor Frankenstein and Frau Blucher from Young Frankenstein or maybe King Arthur and the bunny with the very sharp teeth.\u00a0\u00a0It would be SOOOO CUTE and awesome!!! \u00a0But… awesome for me, not them. \u00a0These are all grown up ideas. \u00a0How can that possibly be fun for these kids? \u00a0Is that fair? \u00a0Maybe I’m just allowing my own past to cloud my perspective here and it’s really no big deal. \u00a0I think I only got to choose my own costumes for about three years growing up and I remember that being a sore spot… I don’t want my kids to grow up feeling like I didn’t respect their creativity.<\/p>\n

The Padawan’s first Halloween costume was Sheriff Grimes from Walking Dead. \u00a0Yes, not “child appropriate” in the slightest, but he was a year old. \u00a0Whatever. \u00a0The next year; a dinosaur. \u00a0The Punkin’s first was a mermaid in a beautiful handmade mermaid tail made by\u00a0an actual (professional) mermaid. \u00a0The next\u00a0Halloween after that saw them as Jack and Zero from Nightmare Before Christmas, the Padawan’s choice. \u00a0Last year, they were Batgirl and Batman, also the Padawan’s choice, but the Punkin didn’t have a problem with it because there was a fluffy skirt and she liked Batman, too.<\/p>\n

\"10742816_10204685983846573_630107018_o\"<\/a> \"63730_10204618384116622_5480508500093982659_n\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This year, his fifth Halloween, the Padawan chose Miles from Tomorrowland and the Punkin wanted to be\u00a0Belle from Beauty and the Beast. \u00a0If I’d had my way, it\u00a0wouldn’t have been Miles. \u00a0I tried so hard to nudge him toward another choice, my choice; Starlord. \u00a0Starlord was his FIRST choice back in August, but then he changed his mind and decided on Miles instead. \u00a0I tried for a month to change his mind back to Starlord but he wasn’t having any of it and I finally decided it wasn’t fair to push him toward a choice I wanted that he didn’t. \u00a0So, Miles it was and I can’t complain considering that show is basically the child version of Star Trek. \u00a0The Punkin’s first choice was brilliant and I was thrilled \u00a0She asked if she could be Vanellope Von Schweetz from Wreck it Ralph and I enthusiastically said YES!! \u00a0I immediately began searching ideas to build her the perfect Vanellope costume and was so excited, until one day she came to me and said “mom, I want to be Snow White for Halloween, not Vanellope.” \u00a0My heart sank, but she would make a super cute Snow White and I hadn’t yet purchased any of her costume pieces outside the mint green hoodie, so I gave in. \u00a0Thankfully, I did not buy that costume, because she changed her mind again, and again, and again… then, finally settled on Belle a week before Halloween.<\/p>\n

\"Although<\/a>
Although she made a beautiful Belle, don’t think it didn’t cross my mind to just turn her into Claudia instead…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Now, all that being said, while I feel it’s not my place and it’s SO WRONG\u00a0to do it,\u00a0I DESPERATELY want to dress them up in super cute and sometimes potentially age-inappropriate costumes for conventions and holidays, but I’m pretty sure they’d hate it.<\/p>\n

Maybe we all just need to remember to\u00a0utilize our resources better and be patient.<\/p>\n

Geek\/goth\/horror\/sub – culture parents need to remember that just as WE hated to be taught what to like and what we should wear, our children are no different. \u00a0Shouldn’t we allow them to grow into who THEY are, even if that means they are princesses and football players? \u00a0We do nothing for them by being just as oppressively demanding, coaxing them into our own culture even if they aren’t ready or don’t really like it… just as we remember own parents doing to us.<\/p>\n

The thing is, when I think about it, there are plenty of amazing geek culture costumes just waiting to be considered that are actually age appropriate and can be taken from movies they’ve actually seen. \u00a0So, here’s a list of options to consider for kids between the ages of 0-8\/10 depending on maturity level, costumes they may actually truly enjoy dressing up like;<\/p>\n

Emmet and WildStyle and anyone else from the Lego Movie universe
\nRuby Gloom
\nFoster’s Home for Imaginary Friends
\nANY super hero EVER who has been featured in a child-appropriate cartoon, comic or video game
\nLOTR (tiny hobbitses!! ZOMG!)
\nStar Trek (wait, everyone watches these shows with their one year olds, right?)
\nBig Hero 6
\nBill Nye
\nDr Who
\nStar Wars
\nMario & Luigi
\nSonic the Hedgehog
\nMinecraft
\nSailor Moon
\nPJ Masks
\nLegend of Zelda
\nNeo? I don’t know, I wouldn’t be able to let my five year old watch it, but maybe yours could handle it and might want to look like him?
\nAlice in Wonderland
\nNightmare before Christmas
\nFrankenweenie
\nWreck-It Ralph
\nParanorman
\nCoraline
\nAny character who shows up in the Disney Infinity games or the Lego Dimensions games
\nCorpse Bride
\nJames and the Giant Peach
\nET
\nThe Last Airbender
\nGoonies
\nHarry Potter
\nIndiana Jones
\n… to name a few. \u00a0I know there’s more.<\/p>\n

What do you think? \u00a0Does it matter? \u00a0Should it matter?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Okay, so I know its been three weeks since Halloween, but I need to talk about something. \u00a0As photos from Halloween still filter in through social media posts of friends and family, I keep seeing these shared photos of children in amazing costumes depicting subculture\/horror\/geek characters with headings such as “parenting done right” and\u00a0you KNOW […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[4,9],"tags":[299,298,297,300],"class_list":["post-12274","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog-and-reviews","category-lessons-from-the-mother-ship","tag-geek-children-on-halloween","tag-geek-halloween","tag-halloween-costumes","tag-horror-kids"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1opIU-3bY","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":12272,"url":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/i-miss-halloween\/","url_meta":{"origin":12274,"position":0},"title":"I Miss Halloween","author":"Janelle","date":"October 30, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Halloween has always been my favorite holiday. As a child, it was all about the dressing up, the candy, the amazing Halloween cartoon specials, being creative, making people smile or getting spooked while staring at the moon and listening to the wind blow, imagining all the creepy, spooky, magical and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blogs\/Reviews\/Stories"","block_context":{"text":"Blogs\/Reviews\/Stories","link":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/category\/blog-and-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":17442,"url":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/midsummer-scream-returns-to-long-beach-july-29-31\/","url_meta":{"origin":12274,"position":1},"title":"MIDSUMMER SCREAM RETURNS TO LONG BEACH JULY 29-31","author":"Forbidden Panel","date":"March 3, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"WORLD\u2019S LARGEST HALLOWEEN AND HORROR CONVENTION CELEBRATES FIFTH ANNIVERSARY AT LONG BEACH CONVENTION CENTER WITH THREE DAYS OF GHOULISH FUN TICKETS ON SALE SATURDAY MARCH 5TH AT 10AM! LOS ANGELES, CA - Midsummer Scream has announced its return to the Long Beach Convention Center July 29-31, 2022. The three-day event\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Events"","block_context":{"text":"Events","link":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/category\/events\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/6f58ec8c-f720-fe73-dd7c-5d347cb9f342.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/6f58ec8c-f720-fe73-dd7c-5d347cb9f342.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/6f58ec8c-f720-fe73-dd7c-5d347cb9f342.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/6f58ec8c-f720-fe73-dd7c-5d347cb9f342.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/6f58ec8c-f720-fe73-dd7c-5d347cb9f342.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":18342,"url":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/spooky-movie-month-day-28-the-house-of-the-devil-1896\/","url_meta":{"origin":12274,"position":2},"title":"Spooky Movie Month Day #28 – The House of the Devil (1896)","author":"Janelle","date":"October 28, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"With only a few days left and very little time, today we chose a short silent film from over 100 years ago! Check out today's horror history lesson!","rel":"","context":"In "Blogs\/Reviews\/Stories"","block_context":{"text":"Blogs\/Reviews\/Stories","link":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/category\/blog-and-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Mothership-Logo-3-Banner.png?fit=1200%2C300&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Mothership-Logo-3-Banner.png?fit=1200%2C300&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Mothership-Logo-3-Banner.png?fit=1200%2C300&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Mothership-Logo-3-Banner.png?fit=1200%2C300&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Mothership-Logo-3-Banner.png?fit=1200%2C300&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":18223,"url":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/spooky-movie-month-day-15-the-halloween-tree\/","url_meta":{"origin":12274,"position":3},"title":"Spooky Movie Month Day #15 – The Halloween Tree","author":"Janelle","date":"October 15, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"We needed a fast, easy story that wasn\u2019t too scary and wasn\u2019t too long but still fun and spooky. Enter The Halloween Tree!","rel":"","context":"In "Blogs\/Reviews\/Stories"","block_context":{"text":"Blogs\/Reviews\/Stories","link":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/category\/blog-and-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Mothership-Logo-3-Banner.png?fit=1200%2C300&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Mothership-Logo-3-Banner.png?fit=1200%2C300&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Mothership-Logo-3-Banner.png?fit=1200%2C300&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Mothership-Logo-3-Banner.png?fit=1200%2C300&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Mothership-Logo-3-Banner.png?fit=1200%2C300&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15980,"url":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/halloween-countdown-2018-kids-edition\/","url_meta":{"origin":12274,"position":4},"title":"Halloween Countdown 2018… Kids Edition","author":"Janelle","date":"October 4, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"So, it's no secret; our family LOVES Halloween season. Check out what we're doing this year to get our whole family into the haunted holiday spirit! We love everything about it from the history, the Celtic & European traditions, the magic, the spookiness, the food, the smells, the fact that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blogs\/Reviews\/Stories"","block_context":{"text":"Blogs\/Reviews\/Stories","link":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/category\/blog-and-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/22894140_10213962303708772_2749504347024756326_n-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":18259,"url":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/spooky-movie-month-day-21-gudetama\/","url_meta":{"origin":12274,"position":5},"title":"Spooky Movie Month Day #21 – Gudetama","author":"Janelle","date":"October 21, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"So, we didn\u2019t watch a spooky movie today since we weren't at home. Instead, Dragon introduced the weirdness of Gudetama An Eggcellent Adventure to my parents.\u00a0","rel":"","context":"In "Blogs\/Reviews\/Stories"","block_context":{"text":"Blogs\/Reviews\/Stories","link":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/category\/blog-and-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Mothership-Logo-3-Banner.png?fit=1200%2C300&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Mothership-Logo-3-Banner.png?fit=1200%2C300&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Mothership-Logo-3-Banner.png?fit=1200%2C300&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Mothership-Logo-3-Banner.png?fit=1200%2C300&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Mothership-Logo-3-Banner.png?fit=1200%2C300&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12274","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12274"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12274\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12292,"href":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12274\/revisions\/12292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12274"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12274"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12274"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}