The Easter Bunny

Kaylea has had an internal struggle over the past few years in regards to the Easter Bunny. You see, she wants to be BIG and mature and not believe in the Easter Bunny, but she still wants to get the Easter basket and all of the goodies on Easter morning. This all started when she was in 1st grade. We were discussing Easter and what she was hoping the Easter Bunny was going to bring her. In her very grown up voice she quickly told me that there was "no such thing as the Easter Bunny." I just replied with an, "Oh?" Then I proceeded to ask her if she wanted me to let her pick out an Easter gift or if she still wanted an Easter basket. She said she wanted to get some new clothes and she wanted to pick them out. I was ok with this little plan because I thought, "hey, less work for me!"

In the days before Easter we went shopping and she chose a cute pair of capris, a t-shirt and some matching shoes. All the while, I was reminding her that this was her Easter gift. Well, imagine my surprise when she awoke on Easter morning and immediately bolted for the living room to see what treasures she had in her Easter basket. She was quite traumatized when she did not find an Easter basket sitting in the usual spot on the fireplace hearth. She kept saying, "Did the Easter Bunny forget about me?" I was quick to remind her that SHE said she didn't believe in the Easter Bunny anymore and SHE chose to go shopping instead of having a basket. Unfortunately, this was of no comfort to my little darling. She hung her head and made her way to the bathroom to get ready for church. (I swear her lip was dragging the ground). Well, me being the softy that I am, I immediately started trying to figure out a way to make it all better. I switched gears into recovery mode and managed to scrounge together some jellybeans and M&Ms to fill some plastic eggs and put them in an old Easter basket along with a little Easter bunny snow globe that was sitting in the living room. I quickly ran to the bathroom and told her to hurry and come into the living room. I explained that the Easter Bunny just stopped by the house and he apologized for being late. She was thrilled with her basket even though she knew my story was about as lame as the Easter Basket was.

So, even though Kaylea knows that there is no big white bunny that bounces around leaving baskets filled with colored eggs and chocolates for all of the little boys and girls of the world; she will always find a basket filled with goodies sitting on the fireplace hearth waiting for her on Easter morning.