Harry Potter vs. Lego Hat Rainbow Man

Ax’s Lego enthusiasm continues.  This Halloween he decided to decorate a hat with Lego bricks, a seemingly more wearable choice than last year’s 100% Lego tooth grill.  Still, I had my reservations, some of which I shared with him during the lengthy pre-Halloween construction phase.

“Honey that is such a great build — do you think we should try to glue the pieces to the hat?”

“No, it’s good.” Focus focus focus.

A few days later …

“I like where you’re going with this, I wonder if you want to try to clip the pieces to the hat some way?”

“No, it’s going to balance on the hat, you’ll see.”

After a few more thwarted attempts to get him to reconsider his design I chose to let it go.  

I watched my child pour his soul into building a big Lego ring that would balance upon the stiff brim of a hat, un-affixed by any extraordinary measures, and quit suggesting improvements.  Even though clearly the design was, while inventive, high-risk.  From my perspective my child was walking straight into a Halloween costume wardrobe disaster.  But I’d offered my help many times and he’d politely declined it.  So okay.  

The day of Halloween, after consulting an epidemiologist, we decided we were comfortable letting Ax trick or treat outside with a mask.  I connected with the family we used to trick or treat with pre-pandemic and they said we should join them.  Their kids were going as Luna Lovegood and Hermione, and the parents would be Bellatrix Lestrange and Sirius Black.  “Who’s Harry Potter?” I asked.

“We don’t have one,” my friend said.  Immediately my mind seized upon this perfect confluence of events:  I could easily sell Ax on being Harry Potter to go with the “theme” of his TrickorTreat crew, plus that would be so dang cute and make - finally - some cute not weird Halloween pix, plus then I could dodge - I mean he could dodge - the inevitable heartbreak of his “Lego Hat Man” costume falling apart mid-treat.  Ah hah — all coming together!

I hung up the phone and turned to Mike.  “They are all going as Harry Potter people but they don’t have a Harry — I’m gonna tell Ax to be Harry!”  We def had enough Potter gear somewhere from something.  

“No you’re not!” Mike said, laughing (at me?), half-appalled. “That is your vision of Halloween, not his.  You be Harry Potter.”

“Uh, no.  I’m being the customary mom-in-black-leggings-with-festive-headpiece for the 6th year running.”

“Okay, so you do you, Ax will do Ax.”

“You’re right, you’re right.”

And so I didn’t even mention the Harry Potter thing.  And when our kid came out of his room for the big reveal in his Lego hat and tie dye and announced himself “Lego hat rainbow man” I said he looked wonderful.  

And when the hat fell apart right after greeting our friends and we all waited for fifteen minutes while he reconstructed it while leaning on the back of our car I said nothing.  And when it fell apart again at the fourth house I helped him pick up the pieces scattered all over the driveway with kids walking over them.  

“I guess my costume is really ruined now,” he said sullenly as we scooped up the pieces and  put them in his treat bag together.

I said, “The Lego hat was an amazing look, but you still look awesome, like a cowboy.”  I got a hint of a half smile from him, reached out to give a back pat/ quick squeeze, then watched him run off to join his friends to continue the epic adventure.  I’m gonna keep going.  

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