It may seem odd to be talking about putting kids on the bus to school when the school year is winding down or even, for many school districts, over and done with, but for one high school sophomore in American Fork, Utah, the morning send-off may be the best part about being through with school. It seems his dad loves him so much, he was willing to go to some pretty extreme lengths to show that love — including by putting on a wedding dress.
Every morning, for the past 170 school days, Dale Price dressed up in a different costume — his rule was that costumes could only be worn once — to wave good-bye to his son Rain. While Rain might have thought that pretty gosh-darn cool when he was on his way to kindergarten, it’s another story when he’s off to high school. “You don’t want to see your dad dressing up in a wedding dress, waving at you on the bus,” he said.
For Dale, it allowed him to express his feelings for his son and have fun doing it. “It’s a way of letting him know that we really care about him, but do something a little different,” Dale told KSL News. “It’s a father’s way of (saying I love you).”
“When he did it the first day I was in shock,” Rain said. “It’s my first day of sophomore year.” Still, he admits that it’s not the end of the world. “Most of them like it and we roll down our windows and wave. It’s fun.” Nonetheless, he’s not planning on thanking his dad for his antics. “I’m not going to reward him for this,” he said. “His reward is seeing my embarrassment.”
In addition to the wedding dress, Dale’s costumes have included a mermaid, a ninja, and, for the last day of school, a pirate. All 170 costumes are documented on the family’s website to ensure Rain’s fun doesn’t end just because the school year did.
I’m not a big fan of wearing costumes, but I think my main reason for not doing something like this is that I wouldn’t be able to afford the cost of therapy the boy will need later on. Would you do something like this for your kids? Is it okay to embarrass them if it’s all just in fun?
Tags: costumes, goodbye, school bus, schools, utah