Parent Moments: In a Flash
"I want be to be Flash," Trevor resolutely declared when I asked him what he wanted to be for Halloween. "I saw it on TV. When you're Flash, you're really, really fast."
After watching his favorite movie, Daddy Day Care, a few dozen times, my son was convinced this superhero costume would be his ticket to speed. As soon as the costume arrived in the mail, Trevor ripped open the package and stepped into the costume. Luckily, it fit.
"Look at me, Mom!" Trevor shouted, looking sleek in his bright red jumpsuit and matching mask. "I've gotta run!" he said, revving his feet. With that, Trevor was off, flying like a bullet from one room to the next. He raced to the basement, to the deck, to the garage, and back again. He ran up the stairs, down the stairs, around the table, through the halls, and in and out of every bedroom.
"I can't stop! I'm so fast!" Trevor shouted as he whizzed by. "I'm Flash." It took several minutes for him to slow down long enough to hear me remind him that running in the house wasn't very safe.
"But I can't help it, Mom. I can't stop. I'm Flash."
Well, since "Flash" was soon going to hurt himself, I helped Trevor take off his costume and packed it away for Halloween.
A short hour later, Trevor was all out of steam when it came time for him to clean up his Legos. He was dawdling and dragging his feet until he suddenly looked up and asked, "Can I be Flash and clean up? I bet I could do it fast then." Well, that's all I had to hear before I was pulling out the costume again. And as soon as he put it on, Trevor raced into action. Within a few minutes, all of the Legos were neatly returned to their bucket.
"There. I'm done and it only took a second," Flash said. "Now, can I play baseball?" he asked, suddenly full of energy again. I never saw Trevor run the bases like he did that afternoon. He was utterly convinced his costume gave him an extra boost of speed.
"Look at me! I'm going for home!" Trevor shouted. "No one can catch me!"
For a month, Trevor wore his Flash costume almost every day. He wore it to playdates and Grandma's house and his cousin's birthday party. He wore it to speed through his homework and to quicken his chores. He even wanted to wear it to school to speed up his lessons, but I explained that the other kids would probably have a hard time keeping up. Thankfully, he agreed.
One day, though, Trevor woke up and decided he was bored with the getup. "I'm too tired today," he said, putting his costume down. "I don't want to be Flash anymore." By that time, the costume had seen better days. Tired of trying to keep up with a speedy first-grader, I was happy to see the superhero relegated to the back of the closet.
But every once in awhile, when the Legos have found their way into every nook and cranny of the house, I really miss that Flash.
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