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Posted November 25, 2008 by Charlene Frias

Have you ever wondered how the simple act of putting on a costume can transcend a child into an imaginary world? Or how after reading a bedtime story like Amelia Bedelia, you find yourself swept into the kitchen by a tiny child intent on baking lemon meringue pies? 

I find myself captivated by a child's ability to magically and freely engage in the world of make-believe. And when Dalia whisks by me at 8 a.m. as a princess, then a fairy, then a mom toting two babies and a stroller, I often wish these days in her magical world of make-believe could last so much longer.

Last week, as Dalia and I were standing on my friend Ami's porch (we had just arrived for a play date with her daughter Reese), a thought popped into my head. I knew the girls would be in costumes at "hello," so for a brief, silly moment, I thought, "Why don’t we ladies get to dress up?" Imagine this…

The doorbell rings.

"Hi Ami, I just couldn’t resist wearing my Cinderella gown today."

"How charming!" she replies (wearing her Belle dress).
 
"What should we do this afternoon?"

"Umm, how bout we have a tea party, go to the ball, then swing by Target?"

Dalia knocked at the door. My visions of jet-setting around town as princesses quickly faded as Reese opened the door. The girls exchanged giggles, then sprinted upstairs for a wardrobe change.

Ami and I moved to the couch for coffee. I happened to mention the silly thought that came to mind while standing on her porch.That got a good laugh (probably out of pity!) and then she wondered too -- when did we stop dressing up?

I mean, why does the love for dress-up and make-believe have to fade away? As you know, our kids spend their early days in fantasyland as fearless Jedi warriors fighting evil with a magic light saber, and then suddenly, it's time to grow up.

After a moment of reflection, we realized that dress-up doesn't really end when you're too big to squeeze into a size 6T. What is the fantasy of a wedding, after all, without the white gown, your Prince Charming, and the glorious ballroom? 

We grow from Peter Pan and Neverland to dreams of visiting faraway places like Australia's Great Barrier Reef, or my family's simple aspiration of enjoying a mustard dog and ice cream cone on Coney Island. And what about the holidays? We delight just as much as our children in Halloween. We decorate, dress up and carve pumpkins, for goodness' sake! And Santa, the candy canes, the stockings ... it never ends! And we love it!  

The girls appeared before us. 

"Can we have something to eat? And can you watch our performance?"

That's it, I thought. Go ahead, just break out in dance. I watched as two Tinks twirled before us, trying to capture each spin like I’ve set a video recorder in my mind and could freeze each frame in time. They had already made two costume changes and were famished, so after some cheese sticks and Fudgsicles, their chocolatey grins said it all.

On the drive home, I couldn’t resist the urge to tell Dalia the old cliché, "Dream big and dream often." Like Walt Disney did, I thought. And I made a mental note to look at a map with her when we got home. It's time for our 4-year-old princess to learn about the terrain of the lands before her. It may be a little too soon to scope out the outback, but she sure would love to see a Koala.