The Easter Bunny

I struggle with how to present holidays to my child.  How can I explain the Easter Bunny?  What does that have to do with Christ rising from the dead?  I don't want him to ruin it for other children who believe in the Easter Bunny, but it is commercialized and just a way to get people to buy candy.  A bunny can represent spring.  Our town even had a “Spring Celebration” that just happen to be Easter weekend.  So instead of seeing the Easter Bunny this year, we visited with the actual Peter Rabbit from Beatrix Potter's story.  I preferred him over the white bunny who brings candy on Easter morning.  It made the Easter Bunny seem less important, and books became more the focus since we met a storybook character at the library (not the mall or McDonald’s).  I did very much enjoy winning prizes at the bingo party McDonald’s had in honor of the Easter Bunny last year, but that was just a way for them to drum up business.  I must admit, we ate lunch at Burger King that day.

The Easter Bunny was not really that big of deal in my home as a child.  Sometimes he left us a few little things, but not the baskets full of candy he does these days.  It seems like the worse the state of our economy, the more people spend money and time on things that are gimmicks.  Look for instance at the gimmick of the 3-D movies in order to get people into the theaters.  The Easter Bunny is just another way for kids to want candy and a reason for parents to feel obligated to give into their wants.  Kids do not need candy or the Easter Bunny.  There are a lot of healthier ways for kids to express their imagination.  Playing outside is one means to allow children to explore their world and create something unique, instead of what consumers want them to believe in.

Copyright 2011 Tanya Weitzel