However trying to find a costume for my little boy threw up the usual problem. (The clue is in the word 'little'). He's two and not very tall although he has just had a growth spurt so well done him! A trawl round the usual shops revealed pirate costumes for age 5 and above.
The only costume that fitted him was a Buzz Lightyear one, and I had been looking for just such a costume for months as he loves Buzz, no loooooves him, absolutely loves him. To the extent that flying like Buzz Lightyear is his ultimate aim and he regularly throws himself from high heights in the hope of achieving it. Luckily, the myth about mums developing amazing reflexes to protect their offspring is correct. After his latest flying escapades, I've caught him by an ankle as his head hovered three inches from the floor, and on another occasion, I managed to catch and swing him by an arm to ensure he landed on a pile of cushions instead of the much flatter and less forgiving carpet.
We left the shops with a Buzz Lightyear costume that fit perfectly; a very happy boy; and nothing to wear to the pirate party.
The day before the party, my niece gave us a pirate costume her son had outgrown. It was perfect! When she mentioned she was dressing up too, I googled pirates, raided my wardrobe and decided I'd join in the fun. A stripey t-shirt, cropped jeans and a pair of flat pumps were topped off with a pirate hat and cutlass. We were ready to go.
At the party, the pirate entertainer illustrated a massive difference between the sexes. The boys ran round the room, playing in the soft play and fighting with inflatable swords. The girls sat quietly engrossed in the 'entertainment', standing when told, following all the instructions. The children were aged from two to five and yet were already showing gender differences.
I've always followed rules, fretted about instructions and wondered what people would think if I chose an unconventional path. My husband sees rules as a challenge, has no respect for authority and has an altogether more confident approach to life. Over the course of our relationship, I've blamed this on our different upbringings, our different religions, our family's different approaches to education. The pirate party made me think it might just be because I'm a girl and he's a boy. How depressing! I was desperate to see one of the girls misbehaving or turning up dressed as a pirate rather than a princess . . .but it wasn't to be.
Yet the mums who had dressed up were all pirates. Not a single adult princess in sight. Is that because when you reach a certain age, the princess fairystory loses its appeal, or floaty candyfloss pink layers aren't flattering? Or is it because by adulthood, most women have realised they want to be making the rules not following them? I know which I'd like to believe.
The day ended with a very tired but happy boy playing with the goodies from his party bag: a sticker book and a skull and crossbones stamp. By the time I'd made dinner, he had covered both palms with the stamp and had carefully stamped each and every finger too. So cute!
Unfortunately by bed-time it wasn't just his timbers that were shivering. He had a cough and a growing grumpiness too. Still, it was worth it for the fun . . . and the lesson in gender differences!
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