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It is October. It is the month of pumpkins, corn mazes, orchards, and hay rides. It is late nights of bonfires and early morning sports games. It is the season of pop-up Halloween Spirit stores versus homemade costumes. One of my colleagues (a total crafter) still reminds me of the day she understood who I was deep down in my soul. She asked what Audrey and Nolan would be for Halloween (Audrey was in Kindergarten and Nolan Pre-K3). I quickly responded, “Whatever I can Prime to our house.” She was shocked and perhaps appalled that I was not sewing a costume in my spare (😂) time. I said, “As much as I would love to be a mom that can craft her way through her kids’ schooling, I am an Amazon Prime mom. My family has come to accept that, and (I jokely added) I hope you can too.” That was the end of that… and how the Wagners have rolled ever since. Here we are in Prime shopping season, and the Wagglets are starting to generate ideas.

A lot of stress comes with picking out costumes in a new school. First, what are the school rules? Second, how many pieces can one child handle independently? Third, how can my child move in their costume? Fourth, what is cool? Fifth, how can I ensure my children are being respectful with their costume choices? And so the process for us began this weekend:

1. This rule is obviously a preference, but mandatory for a Wagglet. 90% of the costume must already be made. I do not have time to sew, but I do have time to iron something to customize part of an outfit. 
2. For school, my rule is no props. From experience, there is NOTHING worse than realizing your child’s wand is still at school at 6 p.m. when you head out to trick or treat, and instead of getting treats, you are picking your child up from their puddle of tears. The costume can be enhanced with props for trick or treating but must still work without props for school.
3. Can you walk on flat ground, on a hill, up steps, down steps, and in and out of buildings in the costume? (Let’s be honest for a moment; most kids (and adults) can not do this in those inflatable costumes. There are many tears, injuries and ripped inflatables that no longer inflate. Please leave those at home.) If yes, can you also run and sit (think large tails or other costume parts on your back) in your costume? If it is a no, it is not for school.
4. 😬 This one varies by age and is the toughest to work through. I encourage my kids to think about their heroes and role models and find ways to dress up as them. This might be a local hero like a doctor or firefighter, or a superhero on TV. For Audrey, it might be a girl boss or a professional dancer; for Nolan, a professional athlete; for Lyla, it might be another year of dressing up as a dog who can save the day… #nopupistoosmall.
5. The last rule we follow in my house is an adult once-over and common sense. Will this costume scare someone or the younger kids on campus (too much blood or scary mask)? Is it going to upset or hurt someone’s feelings (is my costume using a negative stereotype or someone’s culture)? If we answer yes to either of those questions, we return to the drawing board.

After all of that 😅, for the Wagglets, it is a simple touch, click, and “buy now.” For those more crafty, it is time to head to the store to purchase your materials. Halloween is a long, stressful, exhausting, sugar-filled day of…. fun? I mean, it’s fall, ya’ll! Let’s get those costumes ordered/made and head out to enjoy the fall weather, the Phillies, and the Eagles! I can’t wait to see who shows up to our parade this year!