Robo-Boy

Earlier this week I was driving my son to school and we were talking about Halloween coming up. I don't dread having to get up early for the sometimes hour long round trip.  I enjoy these drives since my son is a year away from getting his license and a few years away from college.  In other words, not many of these conversations left to have.  Sometimes he's tired or I am and there's little talk.  Other car rides we talk about grades, assignments, girls, or what we have coming up for the weekend.  Priceless conversations.

My older son is a sophomore in High School and like his older sister, he's on the cusp of leaving childhood behind. He plans to dress up tonight...probably posing as a jr. high kid trying to nab some candy.  On the Halloween topic in the car, I asked him what his favorite Halloween costume was growing up. He quickly responded with "Robo-Boy."

Robo-Boy was the modern equivalent of the winning soap box derby car.  In theory, a soap box car should be built by the driver...the child.  The dad winds up doing most of the work.  Robo-Boy was such a creation.  It was a tough time for dad and son at that time.  I was a couple years outside of a divorce and was "house sitting" for my Mom (that's code for "I moved back home.")  I was wrought with guilt over not spending enough time with my kids.  My son was happy, but was socially still "coming into his own."  I wanted him to have a special Halloween and have the other kids like the kid inside "Robo-Boy."

His sister was a "rocker girl" that year.  I painted a Van Halen logo on the back of her jacket, but remembered she had "costume envy" since Robo-Boy was cooler than her costume.  I'm sure I tried to console her over the costume disparity.

I must admit, Robo-Boy was one of my finer creations.  He was gold and silver with dryer duct tubes for arms and had lights throughout including the front chest that had lights that spelled out "Robo-Boy."  My son's recollection of his costume was that it was heavy--no doubt due to everything that was going on with this costume and he was a little seven year old carrying around all this gadgetry.

He held onto the costume for a few years given how cool it was and how much work had gone into building it.  He literally outgrew it and it's no doubt living in a landfill somewhere today, but Robo-Boy lives on in our memories.  That day, he was no doubt the coolest kid in the classroom.  He's still dressing up and so is dad.  I'd promised to post pictures of my "Two Broke Girls" costume here from last weekend, but I may have to enter therapy due to the trauma of looking at images of me in a dress.  I am an average looking guy, but one ugly chick.  Oh the horror!

Happy Halloween!