Conversations with Kids: The Easter Bunny

WARNING: Mythical creatures are unmasked in this post. Please proceed with caution if you are young and impressionable. Or old and delusional. Either way, please be advised that this post may be shocking and disillusional for you. Is disillusional a word? I think it should be, if it's not!




We were driving to school this morning and Popcorn asked "Mommy, is the Easter Bunny real?"

"What do you think," I asked.

"Well, I think he's real....But it doesn't make sense. I mean how does a rabbit get in my house? And how does it put stuff in our baskets? It doesn't make sense."

Bookworm piped up, "It's not a rabbit, it's a person in a rabbit costume."

Popcorn replied, "That doesn't make sense, Bookworm. Why would a person put on a bunny outfit, and come in our house?"

I decided to join back in this fascinating conversation. "Well, what do you think happens Popcorn?"

"I think you go to the store and buy the stuff, then put it in our basket!"

Okay. I can't argue with that assessment of the situation. "Well, that's the truth."

Bookworm started laughing. "I feel silly! I thought it, like, hopped through the window or something....Or maybe had a spare key." She said she wasn't at all disappointed to learn he wasn't real. Whew.

I instructed them to not go telling all of their friends the truth about the Easter Bunny. Popcorn replied, "Well, okay. I pinky promise, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to tell someone."

What? What in the heck is the point of a pinky promise if you know you can't keep it? Apparently this info is too good to keep to herself. I can relate to that. I spew everything I know onto the world wide web, so really I didn't have a leg to stand on. I did tell her to pretend it was like a present, and you didn't want to tell anyone and ruin the surprise. She didn't have much to say to that.

Isn't it funny how kids brains work? Who knew they were putting all of this thought into the Easter Bunny, a mythical creature I've never even acknowledged to them. I've always just handed them a basket on Easter morning, and that was that. Their only real idea of him came from him coming to see them at school or seeing him at malls.

I think Popcorn, the more discerning of the two, noticed all of the "Easter Basket Filler" signs at the store, and noticed all of the commercials telling parents what they should put in their children's basket, and put two and two together.

Bookworm tends to take everything at face value. She's probably going to be like me...I was in 4th grade, and I asked my mom who the Easter Bunny was. She said "The same person Santa is." I was horrified to realize Santa wasn't real. She thought surely I knew he wasn't real, but just played along for fear he'd quit coming. Nope. I believed in him. Turns out, my darling brother never spilled the beans because he was afraid that Santa wouldn't come anymore either. Anyway, I can see Bookworm believing in Santa until I point blank tell her he's not real. In all honesty, I practically have. Every time she says someone she knows said Santa isn't real, I say, "Oh well. It's no big deal not to believe in Santa." She is very adamant that she believes in him.

Well, that's all of the bubbles I plan to pop for today. Hope everyone has a very Happy Easter!