I meant to post this earlier but I've had such a busy day that I forgot until now. Enjoy!

The Sighted Mouse:

Jackie set the completed headband aside and started on the next. She took two circles of pink felt and glued them to larger circles of soft brown faux fur. Nick and Matt had picked out the fabrics themselves based on what felt the best; all she did was inform them of the colors. Now, she used the fabrics to make the ears and tails for their mouse costumes. Everything else needed to complete the look, they already owned.

"Mom, I'm home!" Jake called. The front door slammed behind him. Dawn's school day wouldn't end for another half an hour or so, and Nick had texted her earlier saying he'd be home late. Apparently the high school was turning one of the bulletin boards in the main hallway into a tactile art piece, and they'd asked Nick and Matt to help put it together.

"I just finished making your ears, do you want to see them?" she asked.

"Sure." Jake dropped his backpack on the floor and approached the table. He picked up the headband and ran his fingers over the fur. "It looks awesome," he said without an ounce of genuine excitement.

"Try them on."

He put them on and somehow managed to look even more morose.

"What's the matter? I thought you were excited for Halloween?"

He removed the ears and sighed. "I am."

"You don't seem very excited."

Jake plopped into the chair across from her and rested his head on his forearms. "We learned about cultural appropriation in school today."

"Oh yeah?" Jackie thought it was great they were teaching that in school now, but clearly it had somehow upset her son. "Tell me what you learned."

"It's when you do something from a culture that's not yours and do it disrespectfully."

"That's right. Did they give you some examples?"

"Yeah. They talked a lot about traditional clothing, how it's not appropriate to use it as a Halloween costume or something like that."

"Okay. And why has this got you down in the dumps?"

Jake picked up the headband and twirled it between his fingers. "For this costume, Nick's letting me use a pair of his sunglasses and his old cane. But I'm not blind. I know being blind isn't really a culture, but it...it feels like appropriation to pretend to be blind for a costume."

Jack was impressed beyond words with the maturity and intelligence Jake displayed by having this conflict. She hadn't even considered it when the boys told her they wanted to go as the Three Blind Mice. While Nick and Matt wouldn't mind-they'd been the ones to suggest it in the first place-she didn't want Jake to spend his Halloween uncomfortable.

"I'm really glad you told me this, Jake," she began. "And I am so proud of you for using what you learn in school and applying it like that. Mocking disability is never okay. Now, I want you to think about what you think should be the next step."

"I have to tell Nick and Matt that I don't want to be a blind mouse."

"Okay, that's good."

"But I don't want them to be mad at me for backing out."

"I'm sure if you explain it to them, they won't be mad."

"And I still need a costume for trick or treating."

"What if you went as a different nursery rhyme character?"

"That could work."

"I have plenty of felt and fur for a different animal's ears if you want."

"No, you already made me one. I don't want you to have to make another. I'll just be the mouse that ran up the clock!"

Jackie grinned. "That's a great idea."

Jake grabbed his backpack from the floor and dashed off to his room. Jackie got back to work on the next set of ears, still smiling. As many challenges as Nick's blindness brought, there was no doubt it made their entire family more considerate of other people and the was they view the world.