It's ok to be...

Today was book week parade at the Little Miss' school.  Months ago we had talked about the Pippy Longstocking dress up - I was all set to make a blue dress with red patches and brown and black long socks were to be sourced.

Then a note came home from school informing us  encouraging us to send our year 2's dressed as Dalmatian puppies.  It seems one of the teachers with dramatic flair decided she would like to dress up as Cruella De Vil (which I have to agree, would be a fab book week dress up).  She then decided that it would be even more fab if she had a 101 grade two kiddies to be the puppies for her.


Sounds great right?  Except we don't especially like Hollywood kids movies, particularly the one in question.  Nor have we even read the original novel by Dodie Smith.  Isn't book week parade about dressing up as your favourite book character?  Is there not a little thing called individuality?  Surely you should have at least read the book you are basing your character costume upon?  


So for two weeks we have um-ed and ah-ed about it.  Do we do the Dalmatian thing and not 
make a fuss, how would she feel if she was the only grade 2 NOT sporting doggy spots? 







In the end she went with Pippy - and it was all a bit last minute (night before kind of stuff).  The sewing machine is broken, so no blue dress with red patches could be made.  We did not have time to go shopping for black and brown socks.  But we did have our imagination and a  cupboard full of clothes, and together a Pippy outfit we did make.





Mr Nillson the monkey and the case full of gold coins was her idea.  The pipe cleaners in the plaits to make them stick out was mine.  I was nervous for her at drop off when a sea of spots greeted us, but the Little Miss is a quirky one, a true individual and marched into the parade with excitement and enthusiasm.  At the end of the day I asked her if she was glad with her choice.  "Oh yes, mum" was the answer.



  


It's ok, it is, to be different.


Trace xx