If you read my recent Motherfest column, you already know that my 4-year-old son wanted to go trick or treating in a Strawberry Shortcake costume. I was basically OK with his desire to traipse around the 'hood in striped stockings and a curly red wig, but admit that I was slightly relieved when he decided last week he wanted to be a robot like his brother.

Actually, he told me he wanted to be a "computer robot" -- which I wasn't exactly sure what that meant -- but once he saw the costume I fashioned (hey, I'm a writer, not a visual artist), he decided it was, indeed, one a computer robot wears. Phew.

Unfortunately, however, it took me much longer to make the costume than he actually spent wearing it. Tonight we spent a mere 20 minutes at Riverwest's pre-arranged Halloween night trick or treating. About two houses into the fun, Levi the Computer Robot started having technical difficulties, and eventually declared he "hated Halloween." Oh well, there's always next year.