One step forward, another back

My youngest is at that fascinating stage of life where one minute I look at him and see a serious young adult who is trying to keep up with his teen brother, and the next moment he's careening around the living room brandishing a wand and deep back in his childhood world of spells and Harry Potter.  The nice thing is that so far he bounces between these world's lightly, seemingly happy in either one. This past Halloween he got invited to a party with his older brother.  He was thrilled.  Eli hemmed and hawed over a costume.  Should he wear one?  If so, how do you pull of a costume as a 16 year old?  After much internal debate he settled on a pirate.  It was a nice choice- mature yet still fun.  Theo had no qualms.  Despite heading out to a party with high schoolers, he was sure of himself and his llama costume.  There were no questions that he would don the furry chest and hand pieces he had sewn a few years back with his grandma, strap on the wheeled back-leg contraption he made with grandpa, throw on the furry head piece and head out in to the night with a paper mask of a llama face held up in front.  I loved watching my man-child head out into the older world, costumed so sweetly in a favorite childhood costume.