This one had to sit with me awhile. For a lot of reasons.
E was really excited about his halloween costume, it was to be gruesome, bloody, scary, and borderline inappropriate. Perfect for Halloween. He dubbed it his maniac costume, among other titles. He and Dad worked for hours on the make up, it was awesome, like hollywood good.
But he and I both caught a lot of flak for it. I'm still trying to figure out if people really think he'll grow up to be a serial killer because we let him have fairly free rein over his costumes. He was really hurt and confused by some of the things that were said, it was a very creative expression for him, and some other parents just didnt get it. I had to explain to him that some folks take things way too seriously.
Do they not see how empathetic he is? How wise? How loving and kind? I guess not. And thats their loss.
A few days before Halloween, A friend confided to him that she was really sad, feeling all alone in the world, and that she was thinking of committing suicide. A fourth grader. Ready to end it before it began. E went directly to the adults in charge and got her the help she needed. He didnt ignore her, he didnt waffle about what to do. He quite possibly saved her life. She was terribly angry with him, and he felt like he had betrayed her. He wrote her a note that said in part" I am so sorry I told your secret, But I really like you and didnt want you to be gone" We talked about it afterwards, and at the end of our conversation he said "I guess it's better to have her mad at me and lose her as a friend for awhile, than to have done nothing and lost her for always" And the best part? He was truly surprised that people were so proud of him and telling him how brave he was. To him it was the only right thing to do.
Take that you judging bunch of mofo's. Next time SEE the child -not the costume. Or maybe the next time you dress up like a hooker for halloween we can all assume its your true alter ego.
Now his maniac/serial killer get-up looks like a hero costume to me, and I am grateful for that, he is my hero.
