OPINION: Saying 'no' at Easter won't kill your kids

If they're counting their eggs before they're delivered then a few home truths are in order.

How many Easter eggs does a child need? Picture: gpointstudio

DO YOUR kids write to the Easter Bunny? Is this now the way of modern-day society, where we treat this fictitious character like we do Santa?

I'm not religious at all, so I'm not talking about the traditional meaning of Easter. I'm talking about children penning a card or letter to the Easter Bunny with demands of what they want to receive.

One letter I saw this week requested at least 10 eggs and the author even warned our dear old bunny friend that he would count them to ensure he delivered with the goods. Now that made my blood boil. When did today's children become so greedy and entitled? When did we start using Easter as another occasion to allow our offspring to make requests for what they want?

Seriously, if my children wrote a demanding letter like that to anyone, let alone Santa or the Easter Bunny, I would sit them down and give them some hard truths.

"Yes kids, you're lucky if you get anything at all. It's not about how much or what you get, it's the thought that counts. Plenty of people in the world have nothing, so you don't need 20 Easter eggs or a new PlayStation just because you asked for it... etc.”

There would be nodding and questions from Master Five and Miss Three as they wrapped their heads around what I was saying. Miss Three would try to sound convinced but then state it would be okay to ask for just one (maybe she missed the point) and Master Five would decide to share whatever he got with someone else by the end of the conversation.

Then they would run off and get into whatever mischief I had held them up from. That's right, it doesn't hurt them to understand a little how the world works even while they believe in Santa and the Easter Bunny. They aren't scarred for life because somebody said no to them and explained it was rude to expect certain things.

No, funnily enough they will continue on as they were, but hopefully with more appreciation of future goods received.

Originally published as OPINION: Saying 'no' at Easter won't kill your kids