“Arr, do you still want to be a pirate for Halloween, matey?”

Nathan frowned. “A pirate?”

“Arrr, aye. Your sister wants to be a super hero and if you’re sold on a pirate, we’ll get an eye patch and a cool hat at the Halloween Emporium in Fallbrook…arrr.”

“Why are you talking like that?”

“Arrr, like what?”

He snickered. “Arrr, like that.”

“Arrr, that’s what pirates sound like, kiddo.”

“Oh. Well, I don’t want to be a pirate.” Nathan bit his bottom lip and narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. “I want to be a demon…the kind with horns and a tail and a red face.”

“You sure about that?”

“Yep,”

I inclined my chin. “Well, I hate to bring up bad memories, but you didn’t like it when the neighbor showed up with the weird mask that had horns all over it last year.”

Nathan made a yikes face. “That was super creepy, but I’m older now. I’m not going to be afraid and besides, Justin is going as a vampire. I have to be something scarier than a pirate.”

My paternal instincts beeped in warning. Proceed with caution, Paluchek.

“Question. Do you want to be a demon ’cause your friend is going as a vampire or because you, Nathan Paluchek-Milligan really really want the horns, the tail, and the red paint all over your face?”

Nathan shrugged. “I don’t want to be the only one wearing a dumb little kid costume.”

“Ahh, I see. So you think pirates aren’t cool enough for school?”

“They’re okay.”

“But…?” I ruffled Nathan’s hair. “Talk to me, buddy. Did something happen at school?”

“No, but…Justin, Max, and Keller are being werewolves, devils, and vampires. I can’t be a pirate or Spiderman. I’ll be only one who’s not scary, and if I don’t wear the scary costume, I won’t be invited to watch scary movies on Halloween night at Justin’s. I don’t even want to watch the movie, but I have to or I’ll look stupid. So, I’ll be a demon…okay?”

I swiped my hand over my face and casts a desperate glance at my husband, chatting on the phone in the adjacent room while Charlotte colored at the kitchen island. I was hoping for a life line, but I was on my own.

I quelled the urge to tell my kid that those little fuckers needed to fuck the fuck off.  No, there was a calm and rational way to coach your son on how to deal with peer pressure.

Deep breath.

“Look, here’s what I think.” I bumped Nathan’s knee playfully. “You gotta listen to your gut. Always. Wearing a costume that gets you into a party you don’t really want to go to sounds…kinda miserable. Real friends don’t care what you wear and they definitely don’t want you to be miserable.”

“Yeah, but—”

“I have an example for you. When I was your age, I convinced my dad to buy me a dime store costume like the ones my friends had. The kind that’s wrapped in plastic and comes with a mask that smells sort of funny. Worst mistake ever. It was itchy, scratchy, uncomfortable, and it ripped before I’d even gone trick-or-treating. All night long I wished I’d worn my cowboy costume from the year before. It still fit and I loved the hat, but no…I wanted be like everyone else. The following Halloween, I couldn’t get my left leg into the chaps and man, I was bummed.”

Nathan furrowed his brow. “So you think I should be a cowboy?”

“No, no. That’s not it. What I’m trying to say is, listen to your gut, buddy. The coolest people I know don’t follow the crowd. They follow their hearts. If yours says pirate, be a pirate. That’s all.”

He scrunched his nose and nodded. “Okay.”

I kissed the top of my son’s head, chuckling when he wiggled away. “As soon as Papa’s off the phone, we’ll go to the Halloween store. Go get your shoes on. And tell your sister to get hers on too.”

Nathan was off, racing away in a blur then skidding to an abrupt stop, hands on the wall. “Daddy?”

Okay…that would never get old.

“Yeah?”

“I think I want to be a cowboy like you were when you a kid.”

My heart swelled in my chest, but I played it cool. “Sounds good.”

“Or maybe a pirate,” he called over his shoulder. “Or Batman!”

I gave him a thumbs up and took a moment to marvel at whatever forces in the universe aligned to make me that kid’s father. And Char’s too. The enormity of the responsibility was so freaking huge and yet, it was the greatest job ever.

Scratch that, it was hands down the greatest gift ever.