Add to this the problem of trying to dissuade my son from going as Ben 10 or a power ranger. Explaining the difference between a TV character made into a book and vice versa is no easy task. Eventually we settled on 'revenge on the teachers for suggesting this at the last minute'. Behold... the Old Saucepan Man from the Faraway Tree stories. What a delightful noise he made as he clanged and clanked his way into the classroom! And, as if he wasn't happy enough with this original and tuneful costume, the icing on the cake was discovering that his future bride, the girl he loves 'with all his heart', went as Silky the Fairy - another character from the same books.
Lots of brownie points for Mum this week, though I'm dreading the next parent's evening...