Zach in his Jack Sparrow costume playing with his new pirate ship and figures -- all birthday gifts.
One of the most entertaining -- and sometimes slightly embarrassing -- parts of parenting a fledgling preschooler bursting with imaginative energy is watching their obsession with specific fictional characters consume them.
With Blake it was Batman. He was the Caped Crusader two Halloweens in a row. We'd be at the grocery store or the doctor's office and someone would ask him his name. He wouldn't bat an eyelash (sorry, bad pun), wouldn't think twice, would just matter-of-factly reply, "Batman."
Nicky was a red Power Ranger for many months, insisting on wearing his costume to said grocery stores and doctor's offices. Then for awhile it was the ominous Darth Vader.
And now, over the past year, the twins have reached this fun stage. Zach's character of choice is the pirate, most of the time assuming the role of "Zach" Sparrow.
He loves watching the Pirates of the Caribbean movies (I know ...probably not a great choice for a 4-year-old) and has his "What arrrrrre ya doin'" line down to a T.
Last Halloween Zach was a no-name, generic pirate. He had fun wearing his costume but after the holiday it stayed nicely on its hanger in the closet, clean and intact, along with my hopes of selling it on Ebay the following September.
But soon the dress-up bug hit our household. As Allie began donning Disney princess garb, Zach decided it was time to pull down the pirate costume. My plans for selling it have been dashed -- the V-neck white shirt has been ripped down to almost his belly button. The shirt is emblazoned with watermelon stains. And there's a bit of blue marker on the sleeve. Such is the life of a 4-year-old pirate.
In June when we went to Disneyland, Zach's fascination with all things pirate, and especially all things Jack Sparrow and Pirates of the Caribbean, escalated as high as Cinderella's castle.
Zach was all smiles as he rode the beloved Disney pirate attraction ... several times.
And then, the highlight of the trip for our young matey -- meeting Jack Sparrow.
Upon returning home, the pirate costume -- although tight and tattered -- became a daily fixture on Zach.
And on his birthday last week, Grandma and Grandpa Joe sent him a brand new Jack Sparrow costume, complete with hat and wig.
Zach sported the hat/wig while playing games at his birthday party at Chuck E Cheese's. And Friday night he insisted on wearing it when we grabbed something to eat at Chili's, drawing compliments and "Oh, how cute" comments from restaurant-goers.
Zach Sparrow takes Allie for a spin on his motorcycle at Chuck E Cheese's.So far the only downside is finding long synthetic black strands of hair throughout the house. That, and knowing all too well that this pirate stage of Zach's childhood will come to an abrupt end way before I'm ready.
In the meantime, I'll sit back, watch, and enjoy.
"Yo, ho, ho, it's a pirate's life for me ... "
