Fake a Last-Minute Halloween Costume

I thought my son's Halloween costume for a party Friday night was all set: he and his buddy were going to wear the same "Thing 1" and "Thing 2" T-shirts and rainbow wigs they wore last year. But the guys have other ideas. They have a little mutual joke that involves them saying "I'm retired! I'm going to retire!" and they think it would be fun to go as retirees. And indeed, it would get a lot of laughs ... and require a lot of scrambling from us moms to figure out how to put it together. Robes and slippers, maybe? Gray wigs? T-shirts that say "I'm retired"? Last year's ensembles were so easy, but that's not what parenting's about. If your special-needs cherub has a sudden change of costume heart, deciding at the last minute to wear one or ditch the one planned, try one of these emergency last-minute costumes you can throw together with what you've got lying around.

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_{Image by Terri Mauro}