Last night, as the boys and I said goodnight to one another, Jackson asked if he could wear his Star-Lord costume to co-op. It’s the last day, he said. It would be so cool.
I really, really wanted to say yes. I nearly did. But logistically, especially for P.E. class, it doesn’t make sense. Instead, I told him, you can wear it to Jeremy’s soccer game. His face lit up, he smiled. That would suffice.
As they trotted off to bed, memories flooded to my mind of Jackson spending nearly four years in costume. Iron Man, Captain American, Thor, myriad Star Wars characters…
The last superhero costume we bought for him was Star-Lord, circa 2014, so it’s probably the only one that still fits. After all, Jackson made a significant shift in interest this year. He is all sports, all the time.
I admit that I’m a little sad to see this phase fade away. Dressing up for make believe is the essence of childhood. It embraces possibility in the best way. Yes, you can do anything. Yes, you can be anyone. Yes, the world is at your fingertips.
Below is one of my favorite photos of all time. It was taken in February 2012, the second semester of our first year as homeschoolers. Jackson was a kindergartener, Jeremy was in second grade, and this, my friends, was recess.
