I enviously listened to two moms talking about their children’s Halloween costumes.  Their children had picked something “normal” like a princess, a fairy and a superhero.  On Twitter, one mom described the coordinated outfits her whole family would be wearing this year.  I tried not to hang my head in shame.

This year, my children have decided to be 1) a dog (this is my eight-year-old wearing a costume made for a four-year-old); 2) a Barbie veterinarian (this means that the pink costume shirt has “Barbie” written on the pocket); 3) a Spiderman with an Incredible Hulk mask (Goodwill didn’t have a Spiderman mask) and 4) an elephant.

What happened is this:  our financial situation being what it is, we headed to Goodwill to see what costumes we might be able to find.  And this is what each child picked.

Why am I embarrassed about this?  I have long ago given up the dream of having our whole family coordinated with costumes that all share a common theme.  But shouldn’t my kids at least have costumes that fit?  If I were a “good” mom, wouldn’t my kids be wearing adorably cute, well-put-together costumes that everyone could “ooh” and “aah” over (extra credit if the costume is homemade)?

Instead, this year, I am swallowing my pride and letting my kids wear what they want to wear.  If they pick out some crazy outfit that makes them happy, who am I to stop them?

So when an odd-looking bunch comes knocking at your door this Halloween, take a minute to give the mom a “thumb’s up;” she’ll thank you for it!

This is a picture of two of my four kids, the only ones I could collect for the photo.  Please tell me they don’t look too bad!