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My Clown Character

When I tell people that I was a circus clown, I often hear "Oh, I hated clowns!" or "I was scared of clowns!"

It makes me want to smack the horrible clown who made them feel that way. Who wants to be hated or scary?

I never tried to scare the kids who came to the shows that I was on, yet some seemed to be automatically frightened. I finally realized that I was getting too close, too soon. I was too loud, too painted, too big. Of course they were scared!

So I adopted a gentler, quieter persona. If a child was frightened of me, I acted more frightened of them. I looked scared, turned away, and finally peeked through my fingers. Most of the time, the child would smile. Then I'd wave and return the smile. Sometimes a kid wouldn't respond, and then I would just wave - the tiniest of waves - and walk away.

If your kids have never seen a clown up close, you can minimize the fright with a little preparation. Show them pictures of clowns and talk about how they're just people with make-up on. Let them experiment with their own clown makeup or try on a red foam nose. Once you're at the show, let the kids lead the way; don't force an interaction. If a clown is any good at all, he or she will respect your child's feelings.

After all, children - of all ages - are the clown's best audience.