Playing Dressup

A fun little tale about two kids playing together.

by Vanessa Danville

“Will you two hurry up, if we don't go soon the shops will be too busy.”

“Ok mum, give us a few minutes to change back.”

“But I don't want to change, I want to go as I am.”

“You can't and there's no way I'm going looking like this.”

Mrs Johnson sighed and made her way upstairs. The kids normally played nicely together so she wasn't sure how a game of dress-up could have ended in acrimony.

As she looked up into the attic she understood half the story, her eldest, Jerry, stood there wearing a tutu over his jeans, partly inflated armbands just past his elbows and a pink sunhat on top of his head.

“That's an interesting outfit,” she said.

“Yeah, we were just messing about, trying things on, there wasn't much else that would fit me,” Jerry replied.

“You don't need to explain, just change quickly,” his mother said.

“No problem.”

“Spoilsport,” said a younger voice.

“C'mon squirt, I'll help you change back too,” said Jerry.

“Nope, I'm going like this.”

As her youngest came into view Mrs Johnson tried hard not to giggle. When Ellie went up there she had been wearing denim shortalls over a pink t-shirt but now she was wearing an Arsenal football shirt, fairy wings, a feather boa and a dark blue baseball cap.

“You can't go like that,” Jerry said again.

“I can too, can't I mummy?”

Mrs Johnson sighed again.

“Yes, you can go like that, now go downstairs, we'll be there in a couple of minutes.”

“But Mum!”

“What's the matter Jerry?”

“The football shirt, the cap, it's not exactly girlie is it?”

“No, not as girlie as, oh I don't know, my old tutu.”

He blushed.

“Times have changed, girls can wear pretty much anything these days, they can have short hair just the same as you could have long hair if you wanted, some boys paint their nails...”

“Goths and Emos maybe.”

“Yes, and other people too, and if you wanted to wear pink you could find shirts and things to wear so don't feel like you have to take the tutu off.”

It was a bit late for that, he was already tugging the mass of frills down his legs.

“It's not about stereotypes mum, I just wanted to protect her, I mean what if she gets read because of the shirt, I've heard all sorts of things online.”

“Jerry, I don't think she could have a better big brother but, like I said, times have changed, okay there are girls in her class who want to be princesses, there are also a few who wear football shirts and others who play in the mud, girls can do anything these days, even Ellie.”

“I suppose.”

“Come here.”

She gave him a big hug.

“You've lived with her for years, what do you see, boy or girl?”

“Girl, totally girl.”

“Exactly, and so does everyone else; you don't need to worry about things like that, that's our job. Now lets get going.”

He started going downstairs.

“By the way, are you planning on keeping the armbands on?”

He looked back sheepishly.

“Silly Jerry,” said Ellie from the bottom of the stairs.

“I'll show you silly,” he replied. “I've put my tickling fingers on and I'm coming to get you.”

He jumped down the last few steps and started chasing his little sister.

“Nooooo, mummmeeeeee, heeeeeeelp.”

“Can you chase her towards the car please,” said their mother as she passed them and grabbed her jacket and keys.

“No problem. Squirt if you get to the garage by the time I get to ten I'll stop chasing you.”

Mrs Johnson shook her head, in a couple of years' time Ellie wouldn't want to play like this with her brother but until that time came she would happily watch them clowning around, and who knows, maybe one day her eldest child would come to the same realisation as her youngest already had.