Super-Sawyer

SO, as it turns out, I am the competitive-mommy type. (That should come as no surprise given that I am the same woman who nearly divorced her husband because of a dispute over the official rules of croquet and who once made a college friend so mad during a game of 'Stratego' - I was winning – that he knocked the entire board and about 100 pieces off the table.) I don't believe in playing a game without keeping score. What's the point? So, when I saw that a local business was giving away $100 savings bond for the best Halloween costume, I quickly overcame all my reluctance, threw the Superman bunting on Sawyer, and sent Scott down the street to woo the female judges with the babe in tow. Things were looking good (lots of cooing over the baby) until they postponed the competition for a half-hour to allow the Mayor to arrive. In the meantime, an additional 58 participants arrived. The competition was stiff - one older kid was wearing a homemade red Stihl toolbox costume. Some of my friends began to leave, figuring they had no chance against the sumo wrestler or the raggedy ann doll. It got dark. The temperature dropped 15 degrees. We were still waiting on the judges. Scott could have cared less but all I could think about was the cash prize. I prepped Scott for when Sawyer's number came up. "Fly him around like superbaby so the judges can really see the cape flow," I said. He rolled his eyes. I made disparaging remarks about the other children. I elbowed people who got in our way. After an hour-and-a-half standing in the cold and dark, we lost. Not even an honorable mention. IT WAS RIGGED, I cried. (The toolbox won. It really was a great costume.) I am now considering entering Sawyer in every cute-baby contest at every fireman's parade around the 'Neck this summer. That night, I glimpsed my future: screaming at the ref on the sidelines at soccer games, pushing my kid up to the front of the line and telling the teacher that I am 'shocked' she didn't test my son for the gifted-and-talented program at school. Watch out for Super-Mom!