No matter what your little boy's age or personality is, he wants to be something cool for Halloween.
His definition of cool may be different from yours, but you can still be of great help to him as he puts his costume together.
There is sometimes no happy medium between expensive and tacky, so help him out by giving him the facts.
If he wants to be Optimus Prime but you can't afford the licensed costume, persuade him to go as Sam Witwicky instead.
Home-made robot costumes usually end up looking like just what they are--a mass of cardboard boxes.
On the other hand, if your boy has his heart set on a Zorro costume, it is not too difficult to dress him all in black, make a bandit mask from felt or cloth and shop for a bandito hat and cheap toy sword.
Foam swords are easy to find at many department stores.
If you can't find a Spanish-looking western hat, add white ric rac trim to an ordinary black cowboy hat.
You can even cut small holes in the sides of the brim to put a cord through and tie it under his chin for the caballero effect.
If you have a leather pouch or draw-string sack, it will make a good "loot bag.
" Young boys may want to go as something as nonspecific as a soldier.
In this case you can put him in his camouflage pants and shirt, a green or khaki jacket, and face paint.
There are many possible painting approaches, but two fun ones are the camo face and the black face.
For camo, paint your boy's face in green, brown and tan splotches.
Halfway through, tell him it's getting hard because he's blending into his surroundings so well that you can't see what you're painting anymore.
For black face, paint the whole face from forehead to chin, leaving only the mouth and round circles around the eyes uncovered.
This approach has an especially dramatic effect on light-skinned boys.
Explain that it will keep his pale face from giving away his position to the enemy in nighttime battles.
A dog tag makes a good finishing touch.
Many pet stores have machines which cut words into dog tags for you.
Put your boy's name, or the name of his action hero, on the tag and hang it around his neck.
Sometimes a teen-aged boy insists that he is still young enough to trick-or-treat.
In this case, you can compromise by making him work for his goodies.
Have him choose a historical figure and then help him find clothes that match as closely as possible.
Even if you don't have period clothing for him, something as simple as a false beard and an old theater program can be enough to present Abraham Lincoln recognizably.
Above all, work together.
Instead of being overwhelmed by his elaborate ideas, ask him to help you work out how to accomplish them.
Anything is possible when you think outside cardboard boxes.
His definition of cool may be different from yours, but you can still be of great help to him as he puts his costume together.
There is sometimes no happy medium between expensive and tacky, so help him out by giving him the facts.
If he wants to be Optimus Prime but you can't afford the licensed costume, persuade him to go as Sam Witwicky instead.
Home-made robot costumes usually end up looking like just what they are--a mass of cardboard boxes.
On the other hand, if your boy has his heart set on a Zorro costume, it is not too difficult to dress him all in black, make a bandit mask from felt or cloth and shop for a bandito hat and cheap toy sword.
Foam swords are easy to find at many department stores.
If you can't find a Spanish-looking western hat, add white ric rac trim to an ordinary black cowboy hat.
You can even cut small holes in the sides of the brim to put a cord through and tie it under his chin for the caballero effect.
If you have a leather pouch or draw-string sack, it will make a good "loot bag.
" Young boys may want to go as something as nonspecific as a soldier.
In this case you can put him in his camouflage pants and shirt, a green or khaki jacket, and face paint.
There are many possible painting approaches, but two fun ones are the camo face and the black face.
For camo, paint your boy's face in green, brown and tan splotches.
Halfway through, tell him it's getting hard because he's blending into his surroundings so well that you can't see what you're painting anymore.
For black face, paint the whole face from forehead to chin, leaving only the mouth and round circles around the eyes uncovered.
This approach has an especially dramatic effect on light-skinned boys.
Explain that it will keep his pale face from giving away his position to the enemy in nighttime battles.
A dog tag makes a good finishing touch.
Many pet stores have machines which cut words into dog tags for you.
Put your boy's name, or the name of his action hero, on the tag and hang it around his neck.
Sometimes a teen-aged boy insists that he is still young enough to trick-or-treat.
In this case, you can compromise by making him work for his goodies.
Have him choose a historical figure and then help him find clothes that match as closely as possible.
Even if you don't have period clothing for him, something as simple as a false beard and an old theater program can be enough to present Abraham Lincoln recognizably.
Above all, work together.
Instead of being overwhelmed by his elaborate ideas, ask him to help you work out how to accomplish them.
Anything is possible when you think outside cardboard boxes.