For the second year in a row, a western Pennsylvania mom has dressed up in silly and fun costumes to surprise and delight elementary school kids on their bus rides home and helped them count down to summer vacation.
Erin Mulder of Beaver County has donned a wide variety of outfits -- from fruits and vegetables to a hippie and a fortune teller, to Captain Underpants and Gumby, as well as dinosaurs such as triceratops and T. rex -- all through the month of May, leading up to the Hopewell Area School District’s last day of classes on May 27.
The 42-year-old told "Good Morning America" she loves to do it and has been all for it ever since her 9-year-old son Gabe gave her his blessing.
"Last year actually, a couple of kids were kind of laughing about it," Mulder said. "[My son was] like, 'Mom, I'm gonna stand on the lawn and do it with you, just to show them.' I was never prouder."
The whimsical idea first came from Rose George, a school bus driver who’s been driving for the school district for the last four years. It started off as a special feature on her bus.
"The bus drivers play a big part in the kids' lives, too. And I'm like, 'What can I do on my bus that will engage the kids?' So I started wearing goofy hats," said George, 52, adding that the wackiness of it all helped her step out of her comfort zone, too.
"I couldn't take it above that because I have to drive," she said, "and one day, [Mulder's] standing out in the yard, holding a sign and counting down with the kids, and I said, 'Let me give you my stuff. You can do what I can't. Other than my crazy hats.' So it kind of spiraled from there."
The two friends and their antics have been met with countless smiles and excited responses from kids and adults alike, not just in person but also on Facebook, where George has been sharing daily photos of Mulder with the hashtag #Bus31CountdownMama.
"We never expected the parents to receive it as well as they have, like they're just as excited as the kids," Mulder said.
"It's very heartwarming when you're getting people that you probably will never know in your life making comments like, 'Wow, this made my day' or 'I can't believe that you have the guts to do that. That's so cool,'" George added. "It makes you feel really good."
"It's humbled a lot of people, too," Mulder said. "It brings up a conversation and it's easy to have conversation about it, get people talking, get people more friendly with each other, too."
After two rocky years marked by the coronavirus pandemic, George said the costumed summer countdown has been a bright spot in their lives and in their local community.
"That's what people need nowadays. Everything has been so bleak for two years. You need something that's going to make you smile and make you feel good, even if it’s for five minutes, it's still a pick-me-up, compared to what's been going on," George said. "And it's fun."
Mulder said if her son lets her, she'll continue the light-hearted tradition next year.
"Who doesn't love dressing up?" she said.
