Easter “Sugar” Bunny

Easter, a glorious holiday, one we most definitely celebrate in our household. However, I doubt the first Easter was marked by pounds of candy (yes people pounds…that is what my son’s Easter basket weighed filled with candy)-not the one we gave him of course!! When did Easter become about stuffing our children with sugar until they are literally hanging from the chandelier? This year I heard the excuse…”It’s only once a year, let the kids be kids.” Funny because I’m pretty sure I heard that line at Halloween this year and positive I heard it at Christmas. So in reality it’s not just once a year at minimum it is 3x’s a year and for me that is 3 too many.

I love Easter, but not for the “choco-chums and sugar balls” (Too Much Junk Food,a favorite berenstain bear book in our household :)). I love it for the gathering of families, for resurrection, for family favorite recipes, for spring-i-ness (yes, I made that up!), for loads of bubbles and the joy of chasing and popping, and delight of hunting eggs (yes, children will hunt for prizes just as much as candy). Easter should be celebrated and it should be filled with delight and joy, but what message are we sending if all that delight and joy is centered around CANDY?

So, what is a mom (or dad for that matter) to do? I’ll tell you-recognize that we live in the real world and cope the best we can. Hah, you thought I had some genius answer, right?? Well, not exactly, but it is good advice, advice I myself had to come face to face with before Easter day even arrived (Easter party at my son’s school and treats from relatives). We have learned that my son cannot handle his sugar, but I don’t want to totally deprive him either. I’m not a fan of likening my son’s “sugar” behavior to alcohol induced behavior in adults, but for lack of a better analogy… it’s like someone who “can’t hold their liquor.” We’re talking crazy high’s (if we had a chandelier, I’m sure he would be swinging from it!) and down right ugly lows. Normally my son is very well behaved, polite, sweet, etc. but beware of the “sugar” behavior!

This year we came up with a game plan before. I am not one to bribe my kids, but this is what we came up with this year and I have heard other real-food moms doing something similar. We put a monetary value on each type/item of sweet treat he might collect and after Easter we would survey all the items and he could trade in most of them for money, money which he could keep in his piggy bank or we could take a special trip to the toy store (he is now the proud owner of yet another “Lightning McQueen”). So here comes the real world part; seeing all the candy of course made him anxious and begging for everything. Fear not, we agreed he could have one piece of candy right after the “egg hunt” and when we got home he could choose 4 pieces to eat (not in one sitting of course).

One of the more acceptable items given to my son this year.

So far, so good. One more Easter under our belts as we continue on our Real-food adventure, a short-lived melt down over candy and a new “Lightning McQueen” (bringing our McQueen total to 6). I’ll take 6, heck even 10 “McQueens” any day in place of the “Sugar” Bunny!