No Costume For Purim

Purim again. Ho hum. Carnival time, big parties, lots of sweets, dressing up. Well if you've been reading this blog for the past five years you'll know that dressing up and DD do not get on. You can read about past costume failure (or should that be failure to costume?) here.

So this year we are older, right? This year we understand what it's all about. This year we don't want to be different from everyone else. This year we don't want to be the only person in the school, including all the staff, not in costume. Right? WRONG.

It started last Wednesday with Mad Hats and Masks day at school. I got out all the hats in the house and offered to decorate one of them. DD enjoyed trying them all on and has even taken to wearing some of them at home. However she would not wear a hat or mask to school.

That evening was the 2nd Grade Purim Party at school. They dressed all the girls as Queen Esthers and all the boys as Persian Princes. DD too was dressed up and I even got a photo or two - hooray!

Thursday was animal day in school. That is, dress up as an animal. DD: "I am not an animal. I don't even like animals. I'm not doing it."

Friday was transgender day boys dressing as girls and vice versa. (I had to laugh at the article in the DM about the fuss over the proposed transgender day at a school in the UK. In Israel a thousand schools had such a day this week and they've been doing it for years.) As it happened, it was also Marathon Day in Jerusalem so only 30/300 children turned up for school.

Sunday was Pyjama Day. DD wore her school uniform as usual.

Monday was witches, wizards, devils and ghosts. Nope, not us.

Today was everyone wear whatever costume you like day. There was to be a parade and a whole day of festivities. It's a bit like the last day of the winter term before Christmas in the UK. So 299 children and all the teachers, the secretaries, the Headmistress and even the school guard wore fancy dress today. Just not DD.

Of course I prepared a costume for her just in case she changed her mind. We have 50 stairs from our flat to the ground floor and this morning I must have asked her on every second stair, if she was sure. She was sure.

I sent a text message to the teacher promising her that I had organized a costume and asked DD a hundred times if she wanted to wear it but she would not. That's how insecure I was feeling. Not so DD. When I collected her at the end of the day I asked her if she had minded being the only one not in costume. "No, why should I mind?" was the reply.

On Thursday evening we are going to the Purim service where we read the story of Esther and then have a big party with many of our friends. Most of the adults dress up or at least put on silly make-up and wigs. I doubt DD will dress up. I won't be dressing up either because I hate dressing up.