Today, he is an Egyptian

Kids are fond of dressing up and creating images that they really believe in, and as a parent, we are supposed to go along with their new characterization. Many such moments occurred during my now seventeen year-old's younger days. Once, he was Cookie monster, all because he threw a blue blanket over his head and said so. On another occasion, he instantly became Bugs Bunny, by attaching something that resembled large ears and sticking a carrot in one hand. On a third occasion, he dressed himself up using my wardrobe, put his tiny feet into my gigantic high heels, and sticking a pair of balloons up front, declared that he was myself.

A fourth dress-up leads me to reflections of this song. He had been reading a lot about Julius Caesar and the Roman Empire, and then suddenly taken up an interest in all things from ancient Egypt. One day, he concocted a black paste from charcoal, ink, and goodness knows what else, in a small jar that he stashed in his section of the bathroom cabinet. The first that I was aware of his doings was when he exited the bathroom wearing black marks on his face and wrapped in a sheet. My initial reaction was what on earth?

I was shortly informed that he was now an Egyptian gentleman, and that this was an everyday way to appear. Worries for the safety of his eyes made me question what exactly was in the black 'stuff' that he had smeared very close to his eyes, though I also thought he had applied it exceedingly well for a beginner. I can never get my own eyeliner to look thick enough from the liquid pencils, nor from the plain pencils, and have only succeeded in creating the perfect liner look when using liquid brush eyeliner. My son wore this get up for a few days before progressing into an Aztec interest. It reminded me of the song I had heard several years previously.