Halloween. Working third shift, I usually miss all the fun. Living in an apartment complex, I doubt I'd get trick-or-treaters anyway, but I always have to sleep through trick-or-treat hours. And since my work shift ends before time for the kids to get up, I usually miss the fun there too. And so I didn't hesitate when asked to stay late on Halloween morning to get the kids ready for school.
I wasn't really sure what to expect Halloween morning. Fortunately, when we asked, we were told that the kids could indeed put on their costumes for school. That made for an overall problem-free morning. The kids were so engrossed in getting their costumes ready and helping each other get them on they forgot most of their hostilities between them.
I was a little disappointed at first with the lack of creativity of the girls on the co-ed dorm I was working on. It seemed they were all being witches. Different styled witches, but witches nonetheless. Finally the youngest girl changed her mind when she found a Spidergirl outfit. As for the boys, we had some variety. We had a very chubby Batman. And what Halloween would be complete without someone being "Scream?" A third boy had a very cool ninja costume. The funniest was the kid who put on dress pants, shirt, tie, and sport coat. He said "I'm Mr. Wayne." Mr. Wayne is the evening manager, and he does wear a shirt and tie, so it was a great idea. The funny thing is that Mr. Wayne is black and this boy is almost as pasty white as a porcelain doll.
The two other boys on the dorm were very upset, however. One was worried because his costume wasn't there. His mom had bought a costume and his therapist was supposed to bring it. He was running out of time when his therapist walked on the dorm with the costume. If I recall correctly it was another ninja costume, but stylistically very different from the other ninja on the dorm.
My last boy had apparently been on home pass the day they picked out costumes, and so he was upset he didn't have a costume. So we got out the costume bin and started searching. He got very excited about a Spiderman costume that would fit him. Excited, that is, until we couldn't find the mask to go with it. I kept looking while he kept getting more despondent. Suddenly, as I was still looking, he said "Yeah. I'll be EVIL Spiderman." He had found a scary mask with eyes that lit up. And so with a little 8-year-old imagination, a costume was born.
The fun continued when we got to breakfast. I had a football player, some kind of scary monster with a basketball for a head, and a vampire/ninja at my breakfast table. There were some princesses at a near table, a 6-year-old hobo clown, and a 6-year-old Superman. There were vampires, more ninjas, and some more superheroes.
Two of my favorite costumes showed up (well, in addition to Evil Spiderman) when the boys from another dorm arrived. One adorable little 9-year-old had a complete firefighter outfit. And of course my favorite costume, for anyone who knows me, was a 10-year-old Darth Vader. Anyone who knows my love of Star Wars, and specifically Star Wars villains, understands that.
It was great to be around at one of those rare times when both staff and kids all share in such fun. My Halloween wasn't over, however.
When I arrived for work on Halloween night, one of my boys had just gotten back from home pass and was showering, washing all his Halloween makeup off. "Toby" I'll call him, is one of the boys I see frequently at night and have built a bit of a relationship with. When he came out of the shower and saw me he said "It's your shift? I didn't know I got back THAT late." So while we were putting his clothes in the washer and getting his last minute bedtime preparations done, I got to hear about his fun night out. Once he got in bed, I went and put on my own mask and came to his door. "Hey Toby." He got a kick out of my scary mask, as I knew he would.
Okay, I know what you're thinking. I'm really just one of the kids. Well, yeah, sometimes I am. And we all like it that way.
I wasn't really sure what to expect Halloween morning. Fortunately, when we asked, we were told that the kids could indeed put on their costumes for school. That made for an overall problem-free morning. The kids were so engrossed in getting their costumes ready and helping each other get them on they forgot most of their hostilities between them.
I was a little disappointed at first with the lack of creativity of the girls on the co-ed dorm I was working on. It seemed they were all being witches. Different styled witches, but witches nonetheless. Finally the youngest girl changed her mind when she found a Spidergirl outfit. As for the boys, we had some variety. We had a very chubby Batman. And what Halloween would be complete without someone being "Scream?" A third boy had a very cool ninja costume. The funniest was the kid who put on dress pants, shirt, tie, and sport coat. He said "I'm Mr. Wayne." Mr. Wayne is the evening manager, and he does wear a shirt and tie, so it was a great idea. The funny thing is that Mr. Wayne is black and this boy is almost as pasty white as a porcelain doll.
The two other boys on the dorm were very upset, however. One was worried because his costume wasn't there. His mom had bought a costume and his therapist was supposed to bring it. He was running out of time when his therapist walked on the dorm with the costume. If I recall correctly it was another ninja costume, but stylistically very different from the other ninja on the dorm.
My last boy had apparently been on home pass the day they picked out costumes, and so he was upset he didn't have a costume. So we got out the costume bin and started searching. He got very excited about a Spiderman costume that would fit him. Excited, that is, until we couldn't find the mask to go with it. I kept looking while he kept getting more despondent. Suddenly, as I was still looking, he said "Yeah. I'll be EVIL Spiderman." He had found a scary mask with eyes that lit up. And so with a little 8-year-old imagination, a costume was born.
The fun continued when we got to breakfast. I had a football player, some kind of scary monster with a basketball for a head, and a vampire/ninja at my breakfast table. There were some princesses at a near table, a 6-year-old hobo clown, and a 6-year-old Superman. There were vampires, more ninjas, and some more superheroes.
Two of my favorite costumes showed up (well, in addition to Evil Spiderman) when the boys from another dorm arrived. One adorable little 9-year-old had a complete firefighter outfit. And of course my favorite costume, for anyone who knows me, was a 10-year-old Darth Vader. Anyone who knows my love of Star Wars, and specifically Star Wars villains, understands that.
It was great to be around at one of those rare times when both staff and kids all share in such fun. My Halloween wasn't over, however.
When I arrived for work on Halloween night, one of my boys had just gotten back from home pass and was showering, washing all his Halloween makeup off. "Toby" I'll call him, is one of the boys I see frequently at night and have built a bit of a relationship with. When he came out of the shower and saw me he said "It's your shift? I didn't know I got back THAT late." So while we were putting his clothes in the washer and getting his last minute bedtime preparations done, I got to hear about his fun night out. Once he got in bed, I went and put on my own mask and came to his door. "Hey Toby." He got a kick out of my scary mask, as I knew he would.
Okay, I know what you're thinking. I'm really just one of the kids. Well, yeah, sometimes I am. And we all like it that way.
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