Easter Egg Hunts

Easter egg hunt. Three words that strike unpleasant distress into parents everywhere.

Have you ever seen the movie the Hunger Games? You know the one where they throw a bunch of strangers into a open field and they have to kill each other to survive, and oh the last one standing is the winner? Well Easter egg hunts are pretty much the exact same thing (minus the killing part of course). For some reason each year people think its a good idea to throw a boat load of way too sugared up kids into a open field and let them fend for themselves. S*** is about to get real. And trust me, you wont find any moms lining up hours before like they do when Aldi releases a new Wine.

Just like the Hunger Games there are no rules to the hunt. Each child enters the field with their basket of choice and must rely on their sense of sight and speed to collect the most eggs. And if your mom decided to put you in those ever so adorable Easter shoes that suck for running, well sorry kid, you are s*** out of luck.

Now we all know that this isn't a contest or competition but lets be real, kids turn EVERYTHING into one. I'm not kidding. My preschoolers even turn going to the bathroom into a competition (I feel bad for our Janitor who has to clean that mess up).

Every child wants to be the one with the overflowing basket of eggs and have bragging rights on the neighborhood playground. But let us not forget about that precious golden egg. Ah yes, that one. The egg of all eggs, and the one that is certain to start brawls amongst kids. You see to win the Easter egg games you must find the golden egg. Then and only then can you be crowned victor and your parents be granted immunity from the games again.

Now this is where it gets messy. Every single kid is looking for that egg and you can bet your luck that they will all spot that little sucker at the same time. Its a black Friday at target kind of mad dash to the prized possession. Here comes the elbows. Trips. Body slams. Shoves. You name it, its coming for you. It is a mosh pit of greedy, feisty and over energized kids. But here's the twist, is it really the kids that are this bad or is it the parents?

President Snow controlled the competitors in the Hunger Games. He strategically plotted their every move and turned them against one another. Hmm...sounds all too familiar with the parents at these annual endeavors. You see the kids come solely for the excitement and thrill while the parents more times then not come for the gratification of a full Easter basket.

This past weekend my daughter did a Easter egg hunt at her grandmas nursing home. She's 3 and was with a group of 2-5 year old's, so not the youngest but also not the oldest. When the whistle blew all the kids took off running with their parents. My kid on the other hand walked as slow as a snail past a vast arrangement of eggs. The competitive parent inside of me kept telling her to pick every single last one up but nope. She mindfully was taking her sweet time selecting the eggs with polka dots, animal print and pretty much any unique ones.

A ways into our path we caught sight of a little boy who didn't have much. As Addie scrambled to pick up as many as she could (seriously girl, where was this spurt at the beginning), she elected to abandon a few to give this boy a chance. I was basking in this act of kindness when it got squashed like the stink bugs Addie steps on. She had her hand on a egg when a much older boy ripped it out of her hand and threw it into this already way too full basket. The kicker? His parents witnessed the entire ordeal. They chuckled and simply said tough luck kid. Touch Luck? Excuse me? This is a little kids Easter egg hunt, not the Hunger games.

What we say and what we do sets the example for our children. We are their role models. As parents it is easy to get caught up in our own desires that we often forget this. We want to see our children succeed and be happy but at what prize? Yes it is a joyous feeling to see their baskets full, but it is an even greater one to watch them help and give to those younger then them. Now I could of, and very well should of given those parents a piece of my mind after my heart broken daughter looked up at me, but instead we turned it into a teachable moment.

Kill them with kindness. Do not let others actions ruin your happiness. Show the world there are far more good people then bad. And when the universe gives you a 1,000 reasons to cry (my daughter can come up with way more depending on the hour), give them a reason to smile. Parents, please be kind. Please teach your child to share and lend a helping hand to those who need it. Because in the end unlike the Hunger Games, us parents need a village to survive. Lets empower the next generation with a beautiful one.