Aidan’s Outfit

(Guest Blogger Mary DeMuth is standing in for Katy today. Have fun reading her story!)

I love to write stories. Though I write both nonfiction and fiction, I feel my juices flowing when I’m telling or writing a story. So, today, in honor of Katy, who tells such fab stories, I’ll share one with you. This happened the Fall of 2004 when we had lived just one month in Southern France. Our son Aidan had been invited to Timmy’s to play:

A funny thing happened at Timmy’s house. Aidan forgot to bring his costume.

Timmy’s mother must’ve thought I was bonkers. She had specifically asked that Aidan bring his costume and Aidan, apparently, had forgotten.

“Does your son mind wearing other people’s costumes?” she asked.

I thought of our dress up box at home in Texas and how our kids’ friends loved to don the sparkly, robotic, princess, or king costumes. What a strange thing to ask if Aidan felt comfortable wearing other people’s costumes. Of course he did.

“Sure,” I said. “He doesn’t mind at all.”

“Well, good,” she said, her British accent punctuating her speech. “We have a whole drawer of them here, so as long as he doesn’t mind, it should be fine. The weather looks to be clearing, anyway.”

The weather? I suppose they’ll want to play in their costumes outside? I smiled like I knew what in the world she was talking about. I surmised this must be the way British kids play—they invite one another over, insisting they bring their own costumes and then they dress up and play make believe. How clever!
Then I remembered I had donated all our costumes before we moved. They’re getting too old for them, I thought. This was during my I-hate-packing phase where anything and everything looking remotely useless was carted off to the donation pile. (Like Katy, I’m into decluttering.)

But now, as I stood in Timmy’s house, I regretted my overzealous donation spree. How would my children fit in if they didn’t have costumes? How would I explain to my children that I threw away the very item that gave them an “in” in this culture?

What kind of mother am I?

Timmy’s mom and I exchanged niceties. She agreed to bring Aidan back at half past five. I wondered how Aidan would get along with Timmy, costume-less. I worried he would feel weird wearing some other boy’s costumes.

At least Timmy spoke English. Maybe Aidan could explain that we don’t yet have our belongings—that our costumes are there. Then, later, I could break it to Aidan that I ruined his life and donated them all.

I thank God that He gave me my daughter Sophie, who is much more culturally savvy than I am. On our way down the hill from Timmy’s house, as I was lost in thought and pondering why I was a wretched mother, I said, “Why in the world would she ask Aidan to bring his costume? That’s kind of strange, don’t you think?”

Sophie smiled that grin she gets when she knows more than I do. “Mom, a costume is a swimsuit! Aidan forgot his swimsuit. He knew he was supposed to bring it, but he forgot.”

A wave of relief crashed over me. I suddenly remembered Timmy’s clear blue pool. And smiled.

Mary E. DeMuth
www.relevantblog.blogspot.com
www.relevantprose.com
Author:
Ordinary Mom, Extraordinary God
Building the Christian Family You Never Had: A Practical Guide for Pioneer Parents (WaterBrook, releases January 24!)
Watching the Tree Limbs (A Novel, NavPress, March 2006)

Posted by Katy on 01/09/06 at 09:55 AM

Fallible Comments...

Mary - too funny! My ex-husband grew up in South America where the custom when greeting one another is to kiss on the cheek. When he came back to the states for a year in 8th grade, he was introduced to a girl. He automatically greeted her with a kiss on the cheek, and she, in turn, slapped him! He never made that mistake again :)

(by the way - having grown up on the beach, some people's bathing suits truly do look like costumes they should not share with others :)
Posted by Ame on 01/09/06 at 02:12 PM
It's weird to come back to the states, because now I'm accustomed to kissing on both cheeks!
Posted by relevantgirl on 01/09/06 at 03:14 PM
:-) I went to Argentina once - during a horrible heat wave in summer - and they don't bathe often - and I had to kiss their cheeks - and they kissed mine! eeeeek!!! Talk about SACRIFICE! But I have some Arabic neighbors who greet with a kiss, and they bathe OFTEN, and it's a delightful way to greet one another :)
Posted by Ame on 01/09/06 at 03:31 PM
Hi Mary!
It's nice to bump into you by surprise. Your story is one of those you'll be passing down to your grandkids someday, trust me.

I experienced something similar when we lived in Germany. By the time we left several years later, we were experts at playing Charades.
Posted by Macromoments on 01/09/06 at 03:47 PM
Macro girl,

You should have seen me act out THANKSGIVING (the celebration, not the trait) to the poor check out lady. She must've thought I was nuts as I charaded and bought a HUGE (by French standards) turkey.
Posted by relevantgirl on 01/10/06 at 10:10 AM
great story, mary! when my son did a semester in france, he went into a shop and ordered what he thought would be 1/2 lb or so of sliced meat. in francais, of course. they asked (with a smirk) if he was sure, and he said yes. positive. then they started PILING tons of meat on the scale, enough to feed every semestered student in Paris!!! he (and they) had a good laugh, very nearly at his expense!!!

do you all know that Mary and her family are living in France? check out her sites to find out more...
Posted by Katy on 01/10/06 at 02:35 PM
and i'll just mention that before this day is over, i'm going to celebrate the snowy day in KC by staying indoors and baking several loaves of the beer bread Mary has a recipe for on her blog. No kneading!!! very finger friendly... :)
Posted by Katy on 01/10/06 at 02:39 PM
:) I love culture shock.
Posted by Heather on 01/10/06 at 03:11 PM
Mary, tu parles français, alors?
Posted by Heather on 01/10/06 at 03:14 PM
Oui. Je parles francais. Mais, pas tres bien.
Posted by relevantgirl on 01/10/06 at 03:37 PM
Brussez vos dents! So there... :)
Posted by Katy on 01/10/06 at 04:04 PM
!HELLO!
Posted by MADDIE DUFF on 05/06/06 at 08:53 PM

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Personal blog of christian writer & fallible mom Katy McKenna Raymond in Kansas City, Missouri Katy is represented by Greg Johnson at WordServe Literary Read more Katy at LateBoomer.net Follow Katy on Twitter Follow Katy on Facebook 123 Recent Posts Try Becoming Brenda Starr Off Beat Scattered That’s It So I’ve Finally Signed With An Agent. Now What? The Spoon Sciatica Sweetheart A Woman’s Train of Thought Has No Caboose However much we own, we are all still living on borrowed time After all, when restaurants shrink portions, they don’t shrink prices. As with everything in life, balance is key. Slow down, you move too fast… Yeah, I know. I have issues. Search Advanced Search Syndicate Login E me at katy @ ngenius.com	Aidan’s Outfit (Guest Blogger Mary DeMuth is standing in for Katy today. Have fun reading her story!) I love to write stories. Though I write both nonfiction and fiction, I feel my juices flowing when I’m telling or writing a story. So, today, in honor of Katy, who tells such fab stories, I’ll share one with you. This happened the Fall of 2004 when we had lived just one month in Southern France. Our son Aidan had been invited to Timmy’s to play: A funny thing happened at Timmy’s house. Aidan forgot to bring his costume. Timmy’s mother must’ve thought I was bonkers. She had specifically asked that Aidan bring his costume and Aidan, apparently, had forgotten. “Does your son mind wearing other people’s costumes?” she asked. I thought of our dress up box at home in Texas and how our kids’ friends loved to don the sparkly, robotic, princess, or king costumes. What a strange thing to ask if Aidan felt comfortable wearing other people’s costumes. Of course he did. “Sure,” I said. “He doesn’t mind at all.” “Well, good,” she said, her British accent punctuating her speech. “We have a whole drawer of them here, so as long as he doesn’t mind, it should be fine. The weather looks to be clearing, anyway.” The weather? I suppose they’ll want to play in their costumes outside? I smiled like I knew what in the world she was talking about. I surmised this must be the way British kids play—they invite one another over, insisting they bring their own costumes and then they dress up and play make believe. How clever! Then I remembered I had donated all our costumes before we moved. They’re getting too old for them, I thought. This was during my I-hate-packing phase where anything and everything looking remotely useless was carted off to the donation pile. (Like Katy, I’m into decluttering.) But now, as I stood in Timmy’s house, I regretted my overzealous donation spree. How would my children fit in if they didn’t have costumes? How would I explain to my children that I threw away the very item that gave them an “in” in this culture? What kind of mother am I? Timmy’s mom and I exchanged niceties. She agreed to bring Aidan back at half past five. I wondered how Aidan would get along with Timmy, costume-less. I worried he would feel weird wearing some other boy’s costumes. At least Timmy spoke English. Maybe Aidan could explain that we don’t yet have our belongings—that our costumes are there. Then, later, I could break it to Aidan that I ruined his life and donated them all. I thank God that He gave me my daughter Sophie, who is much more culturally savvy than I am. On our way down the hill from Timmy’s house, as I was lost in thought and pondering why I was a wretched mother, I said, “Why in the world would she ask Aidan to bring his costume? That’s kind of strange, don’t you think?” Sophie smiled that grin she gets when she knows more than I do. “Mom, a costume is a swimsuit! Aidan forgot his swimsuit. He knew he was supposed to bring it, but he forgot.” A wave of relief crashed over me. I suddenly remembered Timmy’s clear blue pool. And smiled. Mary E. DeMuth www.relevantblog.blogspot.com www.relevantprose.com Author: Ordinary Mom, Extraordinary God Building the Christian Family You Never Had: A Practical Guide for Pioneer Parents (WaterBrook, releases January 24!) Watching the Tree Limbs (A Novel, NavPress, March 2006) Posted by Katy on 01/09/06 at 09:55 AM Fallible Comments... Mary - too funny! My ex-husband grew up in South America where the custom when greeting one another is to kiss on the cheek. When he came back to the states for a year in 8th grade, he was introduced to a girl. He automatically greeted her with a kiss on the cheek, and she, in turn, slapped him! He never made that mistake again :) (by the way - having grown up on the beach, some people's bathing suits truly do look like costumes they should not share with others :) Posted by Ame on 01/09/06 at 02:12 PM It's weird to come back to the states, because now I'm accustomed to kissing on both cheeks! Posted by relevantgirl on 01/09/06 at 03:14 PM :-) I went to Argentina once - during a horrible heat wave in summer - and they don't bathe often - and I had to kiss their cheeks - and they kissed mine! eeeeek!!! Talk about SACRIFICE! But I have some Arabic neighbors who greet with a kiss, and they bathe OFTEN, and it's a delightful way to greet one another :) Posted by Ame on 01/09/06 at 03:31 PM Hi Mary! It's nice to bump into you by surprise. Your story is one of those you'll be passing down to your grandkids someday, trust me. I experienced something similar when we lived in Germany. By the time we left several years later, we were experts at playing Charades. Posted by Macromoments on 01/09/06 at 03:47 PM Macro girl, You should have seen me act out THANKSGIVING (the celebration, not the trait) to the poor check out lady. She must've thought I was nuts as I charaded and bought a HUGE (by French standards) turkey. Posted by relevantgirl on 01/10/06 at 10:10 AM great story, mary! when my son did a semester in france, he went into a shop and ordered what he thought would be 1/2 lb or so of sliced meat. in francais, of course. they asked (with a smirk) if he was sure, and he said yes. positive. then they started PILING tons of meat on the scale, enough to feed every semestered student in Paris!!! he (and they) had a good laugh, very nearly at his expense!!! do you all know that Mary and her family are living in France? check out her sites to find out more... Posted by Katy on 01/10/06 at 02:35 PM and i'll just mention that before this day is over, i'm going to celebrate the snowy day in KC by staying indoors and baking several loaves of the beer bread Mary has a recipe for on her blog. No kneading!!! very finger friendly... :) Posted by Katy on 01/10/06 at 02:39 PM :) I love culture shock. Posted by Heather on 01/10/06 at 03:11 PM Mary, tu parles français, alors? Posted by Heather on 01/10/06 at 03:14 PM Oui. Je parles francais. Mais, pas tres bien. Posted by relevantgirl on 01/10/06 at 03:37 PM Brussez vos dents! So there... :) Posted by Katy on 01/10/06 at 04:04 PM !HELLO! Posted by MADDIE DUFF on 05/06/06 at 08:53 PM Page 1 of 1 pages Commenting is not available in this weblog entry. Next entry: just promise me you wont pray that i need surgery more often, ok? Previous entry: We Take A Break From Our Regularly Scheduled Blogging... << Back to main


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Personal blog of christianwriter & fallible momKaty McKenna Raymondin Kansas City, Missouri

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Aidan’s Outfit

Personal blog of christian
writer & fallible mom
Katy McKenna Raymond
in Kansas City, Missouri