Several months back I bought Caleb a Bibleman DVD, because it was in the $5 pile at a Christian book store. He loved it. It was action packed with sword fights, explosions and domination of villains. I honestly thought it was super cheesy. However, it was packed full of Scripture, so it seemed like a win, win. He has started memorizing Ephesians 6 and can quote ever piece of the armor of God, thanks to the full armor sequence. I loved it. Then we went to the Little Gym and it was Superhero week. When Mr. Justin asked what their favorite Superhero was the others spouted off, Batman, Spiderman, Ironman and the like. Not Caleb. He proudly waited his turn with great anticipation at revealing the greatest Superhero ever known, BIBLEMAN. Sadly, he got blank stares from his peers and a "Who?" from Mr. Justin. I watched as my Little Buddy experienced for the first time the feeling that not going along with the crowd brings. He handled it well in the moment, but for the rest of the day he didn't mention Bibleman or want to talk about his former hero. I was sad. It was a taste of the years ahead. I saw a glimpse of the answer to a question I am sure many mothers ask, "will my child be a leader or follow the pack to fill accepted." I couldn't blame him. A part of me wanted him to say Ironman, because I knew Bibleman would not be well received and I'm definitely not ready to watch his sweet heart break from perceived rejection. Thankfully so far, he matches the Caleb of the Bible he was named after and is a natural born leader. At times his desire to do what he wants can be a battle for mommy, but I love that he rarely does something, just because everyone else is doing it. After, just a couple days of straying from his Superhero he decided all on his own, to be loyal to Bibleman, no matter the cost. He proudly told everyone he came across he was going to be Bibleman for Halloween. I was so proud of how my 4 year old processed this event and I was determined to make his Bibleman costume something he would love. Being that this costume is not in high demand all that was available was the mask and cape. So, we had to make do. We crafted the belt of truth together. I ordered a silver Ironman costume and stuck on yellow duck tape to represent the breastplate of righteousness. He wore his super cool Sketches and shin guards covered in duck tape as his shoes of peace. Skateboard pads covered in yellow duck tape were perfect for the shield of faith. The mask equipped us with the helmet of salvation. Finally we purchased a light up sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
About a month later it was Halloween. I had pretty much forgotten about the previously mentioned events. Caleb was so excited to finally be allowed to wear his costume. The costume I originally planned for Sissy to wear was not going to work, so I asked her what she wanted to be. She decided BibleGirl would be great.
After I got her BibleGirl costume, she saw a pink princess she wanted to be, but I made her stick with her first idea. I don't know how I didn't think of it, but it never dawned on me that I might be sending my kids out to slaughter. Halloween is not a exactly known as a Christian holiday and yet I was sending my babies out covered in crosses going door to door. In a weak moment I thought about trying to convince him to go as Ironman. Yes, I realize I am pathetic. We decided however, to let Caleb know that some people might be offended by his costume and that was okay. We told him to not to worry if anyone said something unkind. And we encouraged him to not return evil for evil. "If someone says they don't like your costume, you tell them you like theirs, we said." The family spent the day at one of the local farms. Thankfully, everyone thought Caleb looked great. One little boy with much enthusiasm told Caleb, "you are so cool." They became buds and played together. I was very thankful the world was kind. We had a great time trick-or treating the neighborhood with our good friends. Caleb, Sissy and Landon had a blast and got tons of yummy goodies.
