Did you have an item that you wore obsessively as a kid? Most likely it was a hat and it ushered you through a phase. I had a white ball cap I wore all the time. My brother donned a plastic construction hat that was basically glued to his head as he wore it even during naps. My niece wouldn’t be caught dead without her stocking cap during a long stretch of her toddler years.

Well, Beau has hit a similar phase but instead of a hat it is a head-to-toe Spider-Man costume. About 10 days ago, Sidney was cleaning when Beau’s Halloween costume re-surfaced. Our son happened to be near Sid when she found it and since then he has been a perpetual 3.5-foot Spider-Man.

Beau has been wearing his Spider-Man costume around the house A LOT lately.

He jumped into the suit right away and ran through the house shooting imaginary webs at us. Beau kept the costume on throughout the Saturday as we hung around the house. Once we did actually need to run an errand, we told Beau it was time to ditch the costume. He wasn’t having it. Insistent upon remaining Spider-Man, he wore it in the car and out in public. That was just the beginning…

Over the past 10 days, I have had to strap a mini Spider-Man into his car seat more than once.

Throughout the Memorial Day weekend, Beau continued to wear the costume. It didn’t come off when we went geocaching, to my parents’ house, or to a church meeting. On Tuesday when he returned to school, we had to explain that Spider-Man went against the St. Mary dress code. That didn’t stop him from putting it back on right when we arrived home after the school day. Even during this past weekend, Beau continued to spin webs in his Spidey suit.

On our geocaching adventures, Spider-Man summons his powers to help us find the caches. This photo was taken at Saltese Cemetery.

When it all comes down to it, there are worst things that a 4-year-old can be obsessed with. Perhaps any iota of sarcasm you sense just comes from the fact that it gets annoying to put the costume back on. Beau needs an adult’s help to get inside the jumpsuit. You have to help him put it on feet first and then fasten him up. The costume is secured by aligning three Velcro patches near the back of the neck. Not only does the costume come on/off naturally throughout the day (or a typical after school afternoon), but Beau has to go to the bathroom…a lot. Each time nature calls, we have to help him take it off and then put it back on.

Beau has been defending our neighborhood in his Spider-Man costume.

As I write this, the phase is still in full force. How long until our little Spider-Man decides to be content with just being Beau? I guess it is anyone’s guess. In the meantime, I think our neighborhood is safe from Doctor Octopus. Don’t Blink.