I felt I would be remiss if I didn’t do an Easter post for Easter morning. I tried to come up with something deep and thought provoking that is worthy of what I consider to be the high Holy day of the Christian calendar.
Instead, what I thought about was how my kids would miss the annual Easter egg hunt at Grandma and Papa’s this year. Our daughters will be in a dance at church this morning and the Easter Egg hunt will be long done before we even got there–if we were going. It might seem like this is a sad thing. . .but this is a good thing.
Yes–I admit it. If there is an Easter equivalent to Ebiniezer Scrooge–it’s me. I’m glad (yep; I said it, I’m GLAD) that we’re missing the Easter egg hunt. I dread it. No offense to my darling mother in law who I believe spends months planning it for all of the grandkids. But to me the annual Easter egg hunt represents more of a tactical maneuvering course testing my ability to sprint, dive and sneak.
Perhaps it’s because I have lots of kids. This is after all, a hunt for the grandchildren of which there are 12. If you do the math, you realize that we cover almost half of the grandkids in just our family. Perhaps it’s because I have twins who really prefer life (at least when it comes to presents they’re getting) to be exactly equal all the time without exception. Or maybe it’s because I have numerous young children. I’m not sure which factor contributes most to my disdain for the annual Easter Egg Hunt. Regardless, I’m a little giddy that we aren’t going.
What generally happens is that we all go outside to start hunting for eggs. Inevitably, two of my children will see the same egg and make a mad dash for it while my husband and I try wearily to keep up all the while yelling, “Wait. . .stop. . .don’t. . .run. . .into. . .each. . .other.” Usually this plea is in vain and there we have our first man down.
Most assuredly, once this first man is down, thus removing me or my spouse from the situation, the twins decide to toddle in different directions. This is not really okay because the yard is such that they really need supervision while outside. But it happens none the less.
My darling mother in law has a habit of putting money in her eggs. (I just want to take a brief moment and point out that I really do love my mother in law.) I think most toddlers would be content to shake the eggs and hear the coins but not a single one of my children as toddlers was interested in the sounds. Instead, they were interested in opening up the egg and putting the coins in their mouth. This is fine if you’re following one baby around. It’s not if you’re following several.
As if this isn’t grand enough, the twins come back with half empty bags. They come back with half empty bags because they are the smallest of the cousins. They are fine with their half empty status until they see how much everyone else has. At this point, tears usually ensue.
Yes, the annual grandkid Easter Egg hunt represents for me, the possibility of stitches, potential choking hazards, numerous cavities–all wrapped up into one activity. So if you’re asking my opinion as to how to celebrate your toddler’s Easter this year–may I suggest a nice stuffed rabbit?
Valorie Delp shares recipes and kitchen tips in the food blog, solves breastfeeding problems, shares parenting tips, and current research in the baby blog, and insight, resources and ideas as a regular guest blogger in the homeschooling blog. To read more articles by Valorie Delp, click here.
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