"Are children missing the real point of Easter?"
Almost every child around the world will wake up on Sunday morning to the exciting expectation of receiving ridiculous amounts of chocolate and goodies. We will spoil and over indulge eachother, go on holidays and enjoy time off work and school. But why is this time of year so special? Most children will rattle off something about the Easter Bunny, and how he brings them chocolate if they are good. So more and more we are using this holiday as a reason to bribe our children to be well behaved. I would say with absolute confidence that MOST children are completely missing the point of Easter. I do understand that it is a difficult concept to make kids aware of, but I have come up with a winning formula that I am willing to share with you all.
Firstly, Good Friday. My children know that every year we have hot cross buns on Good Friday, and both my five year old and my three year old understand why. We eat a hot cross bun on Good Friday to remember that Jesus died on the cross for us. It is that simple. Just one thing, one day, one step at a time. Now, I know that hot cross buns were not originally a part of christianity, and that they were only introduced to help assimilate the 'pagans'. However, it does not change the fact that it is a fantastic tool to help remind children of the day's true meaning. I do not care where it came from, all that matters to me is why I and my children do it.
Secondly, Easter Sunday. This one gets a bit trickier, but my five year old understands it well enough. We tell them that the Easter Bunny brings them chocolate eggs every Easter to remind them of the new life that Jesus had when he came back to life. My daughter is under the firm belief that the Easter Bunny is, well, almost an angel, or a messenger of God. He is sent by Jesus to remind us of his gift to us, by giving us another gift each year. My younger children, all they hear is blah, blah, blah chocolate. But the eldest gets the concept quite well. Again, I am aware that the egg did not originally come from christianity, but in my household, it represents what I say it does, and not some thousand year old custom. Besides, the idea works, and sticks in their minds.
So there you have it. Two simple ways of reminding children the importance of this special holiday, without taking away the special treats that they look forward to so much. But the sad truth is, no one seems to care about why they do things, only that they get the reward (in this case the chocolate). I think that we all need to remember to always take a little time out of our day to explain the 'whys' of the things we do to our children. After all, it is the 'why' that is the most important thing in this world.
Please, let me know if you think Easter is a mistunderstood holiday or not. Happy Easter.
-T.J.
