bring out the clowns. again.

So now that Labor Day has passed (and a very happy belated Labor Day to all my American comrades...and now get back to work.), obviously it is Halloween. I mean, according to every store I've stepped in lately...once they sell out of the back-to-school three-ring binders and pencils, I guess they just feel like the best thing to do is to just bring out the costumes and orange-and-black candy. Never mind there is actually about two months to go...just...whatever. 

So since we're all supposed to be getting in a costume-y frame of mind now, and I'm sure that my Pinterest feed is about to start prominently featuring ridiculously elaborate DIY costumes, it seemed like a good time to share a blog PSA I did a few years ago that still stands true today. Just in case you're starting your Halloween-costume-planning early, I hope that you will bear this in mind as you go...and enjoy having a laugh at 10-month-old Erika's expense. (Also, do yourself a favor and check out the 'what were my parents thinking?!?!?!' link I reference...trust me on this one.)

From the archives of October 2011, I present to you a repost of one of my personal favorite blogs: Babies Should Not Be Dressed Like Clowns.

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 Hello and welcome to the creepiest-ever edition of Way Back When-sday: Children Dressed like Clowns.

I would like to thank my parents, Paul and Jacky, for making this blog possible. And for instilling in me a lifelong fear of clowns. And when you see these pictures, you're going to feel scared, too. Just warning you.

In general, I am all for dressing up. I'm a huge fan of costumes and dressing up for Halloween. I'm a big fan of babies dressed up for Halloween.

I am not a big fan of clowns. I don't really know anyone in my generation who is.

But at the ripe old age of ten-and-a-half-months-old, I didn't have much say in my Halloween costumage (that's a word, stupid red underliner thing). I'm told I was an opinionated child, but obviously I wasn't opinionated enough to make it clear that I DID NOT WANT TO BE A CLOWN FOR HALLOWEEN THAT YEAR. Or ever, for that matter.

And really, for the record, I'd like to say that I think my parents did an excellent job parenting. I have no qualms or questions about how they raised my siblings and I. Looking back through the photo albums, there are very few instances that caused me to think what WERE my parents thinking? (EXCEPT FOR THIS ONE!!!!!!!! LOLOLOLOL!!!!!!!!!!!) But I'm gonna have to say...Mom and Dad, what were you thinking, dressing your only child up like a friggin CLOWN?!?!! What's with the creepy face paint??!! Why would you DO that to your beautiful daughter??!!!

Well, I won't hold you in suspense any longer. Bring in the clowns (har har har)...

Umm...yeah. Do you see how they painted a mustache on me?? I know this was the early 80s and all, but I'm pretty sure mustaches on baby girls has never been trendy.

I feel like I'm majorly bashing my folks here, so I do want to point out one positive thing I see in the picture above. If you look really close, you can definitely see a toy behind me (and my toy clown). I'm like 98% sure it's a toy truck (dump truck, maybe). At this point in my life, I was an only child (and a girl). I would like to thank my forward-thinking parents for not gender stereotyping me with only 'girl' toys. I'm sure that helped form me into the well-rounded person I am today. Maybe that's what they were going for with the gender-neutral costume, too...but I think that's just crossing the lines. Clown costumes are not gender-neutral. They are inappropriate for all forms of human beings.

Parents: If you love your children, you will choose SOMETHING OTHER THAN A CLOWN to dress them as for Halloween. 

This is a Public Awareness message. It has not been endorsed by anyone except for all thinking humans.