The Parents Who Ruined the Easter Egg Hunt

Seriously?  WTF, people?  Pushy parents went so far at a Colorado Easter egg hunt that this year, the organizers are just cancelling it.  They don't want to deal with the annoying, asshole parents who went crazy trying stealing Easter eggs from little kids.  It's a joke, right?  Nope.  Not at all.


One asshat was quoted as saying:  "You have all these eggs just lying around and parents helping out.  You better believe I'm going to help my kid get one of those eggs.  I promised my kid an Easter egg hunt and I'd want to give him an even edge."  (This guy isn't even a father.  He took his friend's son.  I fear for the world once this guy starts procreating.)

You, sir, are a douchebag.  What the hell is wrong with you?  It's a fucking Easter egg hunt, not an Ivy League admissions interview.  Your (friend's) kid doesn't need an "edge" at an Easter egg hunt.  He needs a basket and the ability to bend over and pick up an egg.  Hell, he doesn't even need a cute little basket - a grocery sack will do.  He doesn't need you out there jumping the barriers and running ahead to scout the "good" eggs.  He doesn't need you to clear a path of other small children so that he can be King of the Easter egg hunt when he "finds" all the eggs.

I wondered what was in the eggs to make people act so crazy.  Maybe diamonds?  Or $100 bills?  Nope.  Coupons to local businesses and donated candy.  These idiots were fighting over snack-sized candy bars they could buy at the local Wal-Mart and coupons for 10% off their dry cleaning.  Fucking morons.

I just wonder what makes these people tick.  Must their kids win at EVERYTHING?  Is everything a competition?  It's weird though, they have to compete so much that they even compete over the dumbest things - like an Easter egg hunt.  Who gives a shit if little Jeremiah won the Easter egg hunt of 2011?  (Especially when he still can't spell Jeremiah and he's in first grade.)  This is just another example of rewarding kids for stupid shit.  Who cares if your kid can find the most Easter eggs in an open field of thousands of eggs or hang up their coat properly?  Big fucking deal!  You don't get a medal for that.  These are accomplishments that are not even worth mentioning, let alone competing in.

I can't wait until these kids are all grown up and it's "Bring Your Parent to Work Day" and my kids laugh their asses off at them when their parents reward them for having the "most organized" desk.

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160 comments:

Anonymous said...

This guy deserves more than a punch. He deserves to be castrated and never allowed to have children.

Cyndi said...

This guy deserves more than a punch. He deserves to be castrated and never be allowed to have children.

Unknown said...

Well said, Jen! I couldn't agree more.

Anonymous said...

There was a similar issue with the parents of an on base Easter egg hunt. Certain eggs had a star (I believe it was a star) and it rewarded a pick from the prize table. My 3 kids got railroaded for some asshat to have his arms full of board games. He walks past us carrying like 7 games and I had to open my mouth with, "I hope shoving little kids was worth the cardboard". Come on, you are a military member. You SHOULD have a bit more dignity and respect than that!

Stephanie M said...

There is an Easter egg hunt near us that gives away a flat screen TV, Xbox, Wii, DS, and Ipod in each age group. The one year they dropped all of the eggs from a helicopter and I saw adults in the mix that didn't even have kids with them. We can't help going back every year after my middle son won a 42" LCD TV one year.

Anonymous said...

Ridiculous....Of course, I also think it is ridiculous that parents treat Easter like Christmas and give TOYS and such for Easter. Mean Mommy here gives CANDY in eggs and a $1 pack of Easter stickers or other cheap $1 Easter item that comes from Wal Mart.

Anonymous said...

I totally agree with you. Parents need to back the fuck off, and let the kids do their thing. If it's a big enough hunt, maybe organizers need to think about sectioning off areas for the littler kids, so there's no concern about the older ones taking it all. (though I'm sure this would be a nightmare for people with multiple kids... but at least the thought is more pro-active than parents trampling kids to get an egg worth .50¢!!!)

imbogus1 said...

Asshats Unite !! New competition to to see who gets Easter Egg Hunt renewed until 2016 ! (with corporate sponsorship, of course).

RachRiot said...

"I want to give him an edge.." That's exactly why my kids have been in training and taking egg-hunting enhancing drugs for months. My kid will CRUSH yours!!! Mwahahahaa.. jesus *sigh*

nikki said...

We go to an Easter Egg Hunt yearly. at a church (Im the only atheist there) and its well organized and controlled...We drive 20 minutes ( I know, not that far) to get to that place.. as apposed 5 minutes down the road, to a hunt that sounds like the one you described... My son has fun, enjoys the hunt and gets some eggs.. and most often wont even eat the candy that is inside it.. its all about the fun of it.. and not the competition. and the best thing is.. the hunts are done in different age groups and its only the babies that get to have their parents in that area.. all other age groups, the parents are on the sidelines and not allowed to help... and most often too busy chatting and not pushing their kids to kill each other over a bloody stupid plastic egg..

HeaddaMarie said...

We have an Easter Egg hunt in our town..although I wouldn't necessarily call it a hunt seeing as it's only eggs scattered all over the grass. I do understand why they do it the way they do...too many kids. They have different sections according to age. They ALWAYS stress the fact that parents CAN NOT help. But of course you get some douche bags that do. I haven't been in the last few years cause we are always gone that weekend. The place we do go does the same thing...I make my kids do it by themselves...if they don't get any it's their own damn fault. Unfortunately there will always be those stupid parents who ruin it for everyone...including their own kids.

Anonymous said...

These are the same kids that bring their parents to interviews (true story). The parents say they want to make sure little 22 year old Johnny doesn't get screwed over in his first job...almost acting like agents. He's 22, right out of school...of course he's going to get shitty jobs, it's called working up the ladder.

Anonymous said...

Crazy parents/adults! What's worse...parents participating or standing on the side staring at their phone?

sarah and jim said...

So glad to know I'm not the only mean mommy:) My kids get bubbles and sidewalk chalk also. Fun, cheap stuff they can use outside.

Rosie said...

That makes 3 of us. Mean mommies rock! (Because I said so, and I'm the mom- That's why!!)

sheshe said...

Hmmmm....I don't know. I DO love coupons...and mini candy bars...

Samantha H. said...

This is just ridiculous. mine are 2, 3 and 4 and they crack me up at egg hunts. They could care less about the eggs, they just want the candy! If they come out of it with two pieces of candy they act like it's Christmas. They put an egg in the basket and stop to open it before they move on. People are crazy. Let your kids just be kids!!

Anonymous said...

I have hated Easter Egg hunts my whole life bc after my childhood experiences with them, I already knew that people are asshats at these events. I have only allowed my kids to participate in one that was church-sponsored, and guess what? Christian asshats. Thank u, Jen, for justifying my boycott. U rock!

New in NePA said...

Let's face it, the future is bleak! The Baby Boomers were too busy working in the late 70's and early 80s to actually "raise" their children so their children learned it was all about winning at all cost, and now those same kids are having kids... And since they never lost (it was our generation that every kid on the T-Ball team got a trophy even if the team never won a game and the 10 run rule was established {Mommy couldn't risk little Johnny's self-esteem}) they now dont know how to teach their children to lose or even behave; trust me, I'm the Asshole parent whose kids hate him, but they know manners, how to lose and win, what's right and wrong and have a work ethic!
BTW... what's a "doucebag"? Is that the same thing as a shithead?

Anonymous said...

At our huge park in the center of town (actually 4sq blocks big). The kids have to be 4 years of age to participate in the Easter egg hunt! Seriously WTF.....could they not section off at least one area that is for the little ones and the crazy parents that just want to take picture of them finding an egg for the first time. I don't think they would need to even have to fill those eggs. Anyway I'm just sayin I'm sure its nor going to be long before they cancel our Easter egg hunt.... Probably only replace it with another wine festival or car show!

Rosie said...

My first argument as a mom was at an easter egg hunt. I was there with my 23 month old daughter and I saw this lady take an egg out of my daughter's basket and put it in her 8-9 year old son's (overflowing)basket.
When I called her on it (in as nice a way as I could muster) she came at me and called me the B-word. I laughed and told her "thank you. If that means I don't have to resort to stealing eggs from a baby's basket, I'll gladly wear the title".

Anonymous said...

Agreed! I also like to get lunch snacks that I don't normally buy. They fill the basket up quick, it's still a treat to the kids and I have lunch snacks for the next couple of weeks! Throw in some jelly beans & peeps and it's officially an Easter basket!

Anonymous said...

I'd love to see someone try that at the annual White House Easter egg hunt. I'd love to see the Secret Service take someone out over an egg.

Janine said...

Omfg such an enjoyable post you make me laugh

Anonymous said...

My kids are grown men now..but back in the day.. we went to visit grams and papa at Easter, many times ,down in Tenn. There, the organizers divide the "field" Into age defined areas and NO PARENTS Are allowed on the field. (Except the toddler area). There is no worry about the 12Year olds beating out the 4 Year olds for the eggs, because each age group has their own special area to hunt. To win prizes after the egg hunt, you had to check in at the welcome table. Here, each childs name was then entered into each prize drawing for free. Best egg hunt we ever went to.

Morgan said...

I am from Colorado Springs, I used to take my daughter to this egg hunt but we had to stop going because of these douchenugget parents. Way to be Colorado Springs parents! Now we have made national news because you can't have a fun Easter Egg hunt without letting your douchey-ness get in the way. Just for clarification, I never helped my daughter "find" any eggs. She is just as capable of picking up plastic crap as I am.

Rosie said...

Yes. Mine's the same way.

I have the same reaction to the moms at my daughter's ballet school. they scream at their kids thru the glass window. It breaks my heart when the little girls are happily dancing and as soon as they hear their mommies yelling "do it this way" their smiles fall.
Me? I'm too busy catching up on my reading to yell at my daughter. She's safe, having fun, being a KID- that's all that matters.

tralyn76 said...

So glad you posted this! There was an Egg Hunt at our Mall this weekend. The stores leave a box of eggs out for each kid to take one. I saw parents grabbing like four or five eggs. Seriously...the eggs had crappy candy and cheesy stickers.

ErinMSW said...

I read this article yesterday and knew you'd be all over it. What a bunch of enormous douche canoes. Why can't people just let kids be kids? Guess what, kiddies: in life, you will fail. And it will suck. But you will move on.

Anonymous said...

Both. Both are equally bad and stupid. If you have to ask then you are the one pushing kids down.

Anonymous said...

Hey where do you live? Gonna come take part in that and earn me some swag! I don't care that my kids are in High School and most times people think my 14 yo is an adult!

Anonymous said...

Yes! My kids got little items in their baskets. A pool raft or ring, chalk, bubbles, jumpropes etc... it was suppose to be a little surprise and promote being outside as the weather was getting nice!

Anonymous said...

I find that hilarious...Maybe their making up for the fact that all sports events have gone so soft they won't acknowledge points scored or games won. If they can't win or lose at things they're supposed to win or lose (by their very own design no less), then they must have to win at the crap that doesn't really declare a winner. LMAO, they've all lost site. We need to start teaching more Darwinian theory at school.

Anonymous said...

I was so excited to get our kids the little two dollar heart shaped boxes of candy with Snoopy on them for V-day because that's what we got growing up. Besides, they are 16 months old. Giving them room to grow into it lol.

We are doing the egg hunt in our neighborhood this weekend, and I'm just hoping they have fun and pick up an egg. And don't kill any other children.

Anonymous said...

ooops. I meant They are, not their. Typing too fast to spell check.

Cyndi said...

I have to comment again and say that Easter is one of the things I find weirdest in the USA. In Australia we have chocolate eggs and chocolate bunnies, all wrapped in foil, and that's it. Nobody gives their kids toys, or plastic eggs with prizes in them. I know the US is a little OTT when holidays are involved, but it's one thing I miss a lot about Australia - easter eggs and chocolate bunnies. The whole "plastic egg" thing is so foreign to me - I mean, we have easter egg hunts, but all the easter eggs are made of chocolate!

Twisted Tibits from Bitchburg said...

You meet these fucktards everywhere, Easter egg hunts, softball games, soccer matches you name it!Grown ass adults, who suck the fun out of kids events and then wonder why, years later, their kids are miserable. We have our own Easter egg hunt, in our yard, for our kids, plastic eggs with quarters in them (two rolls) and they are happy and have a blast! I cannot tolerate the assholes, so we make our own fun!

luvgreen said...

The picture you posted is an Easter Egg Gather, the reason we stopped going to community "hunts" years ago. Their too easy for the kids, having parents help is just assonine. We actually HIDE the eggs and the kids HUNT for them - on their own. This year they'll be spread over 5 different yards. There's 1 golden egg with $1 in it. Good Luck, I'll be refilling my coffee cup.

Amanda @ Life, Experience Needed said...

A few years ago we did a community easter egg hunt and they had it sectioned off so certain age groups were in different areas. My lil one was only 18 months so we were in a giant field with a bunch of easter eggs lying around. We had the issue of parents of older kids, like 8, telling their kids to come into our area, for 1-3 year olds, and grab eggs. It was a huge disappointment

alison said...

I live in CO, about 2 hours N of where the fiasco occurred--but the same thing happens here. We stopped taking or kids because of people like that. We do other activities, have a better time.

Alaina June said...

Some parents treat Easter Baskets like Christmas gifts. My kids get candy and chalk/bubbles/etc. One of my step-son's has a LIST of things he wants in his Easter basket!! Are you freaking kidding me??? Our three girls do get one movie, however, they don't get much through out the year. And with the parents at Easter Egg Hunts...pitiful. I've seen parents stand in front of YOUNG kids so their kid could pick up more eggs...candy is cheap at walmart...go buy your kid a whole bag!

Anonymous said...

Isn't it amazing what we choose to be compeitive about? Facebook and Twitter are over-run with boastful claims of being "The first house on the block to have the Christmas lights up", and over-acheiving consumers having finished their holiday shopping earlier than everyone else. Yet in the areas where competition is not only healthy, but vital, we are eliminating it. Like classrooms and organized sporting events (I.E participation trophies). The competitive spirit is being squeezed out the next generation like a whitehead. So let's make sure our kids get the BESTEST plastic, pastel egg on Sunday, but on Monday morning, everyone better get the same grade on the history exam so as not to hurt anyones fucking feelings. Truly ponderous. Nite write-up.
ArrogantSOB
Arrogant-sob.com

Anonymous said...

I live in the city in Colorado where this happened, and believe me, I want to punch these psychotic morons in the throat, too. The Easter egg hunt here has been a tradition for YEARS, and tons of kids look forward to it. It's really pathetic when toddlers are more mature than their parents. :-/

Anonymous said...

I remember as a kid getting excited for the Egg Hunt, but we didn't get that much in terms of a basket. Even though my kid will only be 6 months this Easter, even in the future I see sidewalk chalk, fruit snacks etc., no wonder American kids are so spoiled.... Easter swag, REALLY?? I guess you can lump me in the mean mommy group too! :-)

Casey G said...

Well said...I laughed my way through this entire entry. Last year at a St. Pat's Day Parade, my girls (2 & 5) spent most of the time getting boxed out by a group of 12 year olds AND their mothers while trying to catch candy. SO rude and annoying...way to teach your kids manners and gratitude!

Anonymous said...

Should be "Nice write-up". I'm a spaz...

Anonymous said...

Agree, agree, agree. And this isn't new and not limited to things like EE Hunts. My kids grew up at a dance school that gave out small awards for "perfect" attendance (the quotation marks are because you were allowed one miss, but only one). All was well for years, then suddenly some new parents thought it was unfair, because their kids, at 3, were "too young to understand". All I could think was, "well, teach them, or how old will they have to be to comprehend? How old is old enough?" They've gotta learn sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and sometimes mom is just too busy/lazy/whatever to get your ass to dance school just so you can get an award. (I don't think my kids ever achieved perfect attendance anywhere.)
slafleur

Jen said...

We have done one, and will never do another. There were kids with bags LOADED with 50+ eggs, and my daughter had an empty bag. It sucked!!!

Laura@JourneyChic said...

HAHAHAHAH!!! What ridiculous parents! My son will go to his first egg hunt this weekend I'm now very curious to see what happens.

If a kid can't locate an egg in a field full of 'em, perhaps the parents should speak to their pediatrician.

Marian said...

I'm going to sound old here, but WHY do our kids need 3 egg hunts a year? My kids get one in the neighborhood, one at school, and one at home. When I was a kid we got a basket and hunt at home on Easter morning and we were stoked! OAM have to drag the holidays out forever (like Christmas in October).

Marian said...

I think I was at that same egg hunt.

Anonymous said...

So true! I was involved in an interview process for a police department laboratory, and the girls mother brought her into the lab and was waiting there with her in the lobby. When I walked down to get her and bring her to the interview I could not believe it. Was her mother going to do her job also? Unreal. Needless to say, she did not get a job.

Nepsi said...

If we didn't help our 2 year old out she wouldn't have had a single eggs because the other people at the hunt we went to were allowing their kids to go during the time for kids 2 and other and they were ~6-12 years old so they ran around picking up all the eggs including the ones with the big prize before any of the little kids could get eggs. People are jerks. All I wanted was for her to get a couple of eggs without getting trampled by older kids.

Anonymous said...

Hey... i was trying to find your blog to check it out after your comment the other day, but couldn't remember the name. As I was reading this I found myself completely agreeing with your comment, then I saw it was you. I will now go check it out. (don't worry Jen, I'll still be reading yours!)

Youngman Brown said...

Sounds like that guy thinks that it is an accomplishment that he was the fastest sperm out of the bunch.

Anonymous said...

Come on over. Hope you enjoy it. But just as a bit of a warning, becasue some people have been caught off guard I think: My site is not strictly a parenting site. Its built to represent my life, so while parenting is a part of it, there is also some off-color stuff, sports stuff, and some pop culure stuff. All irreverant, and hopefully sometimes funny. If yougo over, read "Before We Get Started" first. Its a tab at the top of the page. It gives a full details synopsis of whats going on over there. Just so you can't say I didnt warn you...

Jen @ Complete Jensanity said...

Where was this? We go to our first on base egg hunt this weekend. Not sure what to expect.

Anonymous said...

My girls will get to do the neighborhood hunt ( If we are home from church on time) and the church puts on a hunt next weekend. The teens put OUT the eggs and then they poll the parents to see how many of each age group there are. Littlest go first, to one area, middles next to another area and bigs (under teens who I mentioned put OUT the eggs) go third and to their area. of course if after the appropriate age group has been thru their space a lone egg is found by a big kid.. no one worries. Our minister puts out a couple (read two) gold eggs with money in it for each age group, and the teens get pizza and unhidden candy..much more thier speed anyway! Oh by the way the candy is donated by the parents, so I typically spend more on the church hunt than my own house! Mean Mom's rock!

Jen @ Complete Jensanity said...

Have you seen the crazy over-the-top Easter baskets? Don't know if it's a Southern thing, but it has gotten crazy. A colleague told me last year that she spent $300 on her daughter who was 5. She actually said, paying the bills was going to be tight, but she wanted to make it special. Seriously??

Anonymous said...

I am going to go for "meanest mommy" honors. For his first Easter, my son got goldfish crackers (because we were out) and a sippy cup (because he needed one). Now that he is older, he gets new socks, his swim trunks for the year and fruit snacks. All stuff I would have to buy anyway passed off as Easter "goodies"! Glad I am not alone.

Brett Minor said...

They could easily solve the problem by not allowing parents on the field. Just let the kids go out and have fun.

This is why I rarely leave the house.

Pattyann said...

I heard of this last night at our girls' night out and instantly thought of you! Shows how much I read your blog. I call you my facebook breaker. You know how you get stuck going down the news feed reading all the crazy comments and looking at pictures. Well I eventually get to where it says you have a new blog post. And instead of clicking the link, I log out of facebook and then come over here! You save me daily from hours mindless facebook news feed reading! Love it!!!

oilandgarlic said...

What happened between my childhood (80s) and now? It's like parents are trying to "make up" for latch key kids or whatever and are overprotective helicopter jerks? Where is the happy medium?

Anonymous said...

I refuse to participate in those public Easter Egg hunts. Everything I've heard about them sounds ridiculous. I just go out and buy a few bags of fun size candy, fill some plastic eggs and hide them in our own yard. We don't have to worry about asshat parents knocking my kids down or the older kids beating the young ones to the eggs. There are plenty to go around at home. Plus, my kids would love it even if the eggs were empty. They just like finding them. One year, my oldest made me re-hide the empty eggs about five additional times so he could find them.

Anonymous said...

silly string. My kids get silly string every year since they were old enough to spray it. They go outside and spray each other. They are 21 and 19, and they still want that silly string. So I still get it for them, at least they are interacting with each other :)

Rosie said...

Yes! Kids need to learn to lose. Teaches them to be graceful about it and not boastful when they win.

Anonymous said...

I believe it should be douchebag, just like douche canoe, something one should never strive to be, lol.

Unknown said...

WHAT GETS ME IS THE PARENTS CARRYING THE KIDS THAT ARE TOO YOUNG TO WALK OR EVEN KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON AND GRABBING EGGS FOR THEM.

Kelly and Sne said...

I think we've seen a cultural shift from a concern about the greater community to the "I got mines" mentality. Parents have become only interested in making sure that THEIR kids are successful / healthy / safe / etc. - many times at the expense of the success / health / safety / etc. of others' kids (think vaccinations!). I don't know how this shift in mentality came about but I wouldnt' mind some of the "good old days" where everybody was looking out for everybody else too. Fortunately I try to practice what I preach and I teach my kids to do the same.

Anonymous said...

try an Easter egg hunt in a northern state without the candy being encased in plastic...most likely it would be wet chocolate mush by the time the kids found it. It snows most Easters here, whether it's in March or April. hell, we've had snow here until June!

Anonymous said...

We stopped going to the local Easter Egg hunt because the parents were just awful. I didn't see it worth it to get my child pushed and run over by parents who are trying to get candy for their child who are to young to eat the candy. It was not fun for my daughter and we have since found something else to do. So sad that this is what parents are now doing.

Pam said...

I helped my 2-year old last year and he hated the whole thing and threw all his eggs out of the basket and screamed bloody murder. Passers by thought he was upset because he didn't have any eggs and they kept putting more in which made him have a bigger meltdown. It was a nightmare. I wonder what stunt he'll pull this year.

Mandi said...

I am not a mommy but I am a mean aunt (they have a mean mommy so it works) my niece and 2 nephews get a little candy in eggs and dollar toys from Walmart as well as stickers and temp tattoos. My favorite thing is dying eggs. When I do that with the kids we dye way more than just the eggs! Everything looks like a rainbow when we are done... table, counters, chairs, floors, kids!

Anonymous said...

God forbid little Timmy doesn't win something. Their parents must have been big losers when they were kids and were determined not to have the same issue with their own. Cry me a f***ing river. Life is filled with wins and losses. Get over it. You're a grown adult. If they don't know how to lose gracefully now, how are they going to accept it when they are older? Suck it up and let them lose. Go to Target and buy them a toy if they don't lose.

Anonymous said...

...buy them a toy if they don't win. I'm such a loser!

Jen Piwtpitt said...

What can I say? Spell check doesn't like douchebag any way I spell it. nice catch. I'll fix it now.

Melissa said...

I go a bit overboard for Easter, I admit, but I buy them their summer stuff: swimsuits, flip flops, sunscreen, basically stuff I would buy them anyway, except I shove it in their Easter basket.

Our Family, Our Life said...

We don't participate in Easter egg hunts run by organizations. We only participate in the one that the Easter bunny holds for us every year with family friends. There are normally about 100-200 blown out and decorated eggs that the kids who get to find them decorated. They are left on the table in the kids' baskets and the kids wake up to see their baskets full of candy instead. Candy and Easter grass is emptied into a community bowl on the table, and the kids go to the neighborhood park or baseball field, whichever the Easter bunny tells us about in his note, to go find the eggs. The Easter bunny has figured out how to hide a bunch of eggs up in the trees and high places for the older kids and a bunch in the low places for the younger ones and kids are told the rules about making sure to help little ones if they are having trouble finding eggs. After all the eggs are found, we go back home for homemade Easter omelets from all those eggs that were blown out the day before. It gives the kids a chance to have a fun time playing with their friends in the morning before church and enjoying a wonderful Easter breakfast with family and friends. I much prefer Easter at home and then church instead of done through an organization where crazy people can disrupt the fun.

Lorna said...

We don't do Easter Egg hunts, they get enough candy from me. Their Easter gifts have ranged from used toys to video games or movies.

My oldest is almost 15. And Jen, I suspect when your oldest is a teenager, you are going to be so over so much of what bothers you now. I don't care what anyone else is doing. My Christmas traditions, birthday parties, Easter celebration, etc. is what works for my family. It's OK if it isn't what works for yours. We need to stop making ourselves feel good by knocking others down.

For the record, I don't do the elf. Or the Leperchaun. My kids birthday parties are sleepovers where I only supply food, they figure out the activities with things they already own. The tooth fairy only brings a $1/tooth and that is when she remembers. But if I want to give my kids laptops for their birthdays so they'll get off of mine or put a movie in thier Easter baskets, who are any of you to criticize that?

Nus Nogard said...

If the kid is really little or slower at figuring out what to do for the egg hunt or just not as aggressive as the other kids, I can see snatching up *one* egg (not one that another child is going after) and placing it somewhere where your kid will definitely get it. But not stealing eggs from other kids or gathering up all the eggs yourself. Oh, I just thought of another reason to grab an egg... if it's way too high for your kid to grab, but they see it and pointed it out to you. They technically got it, just didn't have the means to get to it.

Samantha said...

We do the summer items on our Easter baskets as well. And I don't put them into an Easter basket. I don't want a million baskets collecting at my house. I usually put them into a beach bag or a sand bucket. Knocking out bathing suit and flipflop shopping right along with Easter.

Carolyn S. said...

I've never understood these kind of parents. I'd rather my kids learn to cope with disappointment and not everything working out fairly when they are young. Then they can handle the douchy boss, shitty roommate, or challenging co-worker. I also don't want them to expect that I will do everything for them. When they do their homework or school projects I always tell them, " your teacher doesn't want to know how well I can spell, write a sentence, make a poster, etc"
I have friends that think it's laziness, I think it lets them learn and also be confident that they can handle their own work.
Don't these parents get that besides giving their child the "win" by competing for them, they are also very loudly telling their child "I don't think you are capable of doing this (Easter egg hunt, homework assignment, project, college application, job), so I have to do it for you"
Geez, what a bunch of asshats.

Nicole Marie said...

HAHA! You made my day with this one. I do not have kids, yet. But you better believe I take notes when reading your blog posts.

Just Another Day said...

I've heard it all now. Is there really a winner at an Easter Egg Hunt? The ones I've been at they don't count up the eggs collected and declare a winner. If they did, I'd turn around and run away from this crazy shit. It's an Easter Egg Hunt for crying out loud. Let the kids find them on their own and have fun doing so. I couldn't agree more Jen. Once again we are teaching our children not to think or do for themselves and still accept the "I participated trophy" just for being there.

shannon said...

This deserves a punch! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01U6VNkGPN8&feature=youtu.be

Jenna @ Sharing My Jennarocity said...

I don't know if this deserves a bunch - but we have three kids, 10 year old boy, 7 year old girl, and a 16 month old girl. We are going to have our own Easter egg hunt at our house and each kid will search for their own color egg. My 16 month old will search for Elmo's head, and there are only three, and they will be a treat appropriate for her age. The other two will just end up fighting over what candy they get and how many they found and it will take the joy away from it being fun. Now the hunt at church, they will just have to deal with it, but the 16 month old won't participate in that one. I mean, it's not about it being "fair." I am not a believer in fair. I am doing it so we don't have to listen to fighting or have one wind up crying about it because Easter is not about this anyway. Parents like this annoy me so bad and they take the fun out of things like this for everyone else.

Deb said...

Isn't Easter supposed to be a Christian holiday? How did Hallmark and Brachs candy take it over? I'm happy to skip out completely on nearly all holidays as observed at school, community, etc. It's all about candy and material goods. My kids don't like it, but we opt out of nearly everything.

Michelle C. said...

I am part of a spouse's association at a Cleveland hospital in Ohio. I am only part of this group because my husband is a physician here and they feel the need to gather the spouses up into a group for "support". All I have met is stuck up women but ANYWAYS back to my RIDICULOUS story.

They put out a newsletter stating the Spouses would be sponsering an Easter Egg Hunt. They asked each parent to submit 12 eggs per child coming to the event. I do not have children (so far nothing has worked medically or naturally) and I decided to email and ask if I could donate a few dozen eggs. My husband and I are fairly financially stable so I thought "Why not give back?". Well her email back blew me away. It stated, "If you do not have a child involved then you cannot participate. It would just make for uneven numbers. Also in the future do not respond if you do not have a child who can attend". I was blown away. I wanted to help and was actually told no but also for her harsh words..Maybe I am too sensitive but it really pissed me off.

LOL No more spouse association for me!

Anonymous said...

Take your parents to work day?! I've witnessed the Easter egg craziness but the Take Your Parents to Work Day killed me!!!

Anonymous said...

Oh geez Bancroft park is right down the road from me. I can walk there. Kinda really glad they cancelled it now.

dvorakoelling said...

Kind of feeling happy to be Jewish right now, cause at least there are no Jewish holidays that involve plastic eggs and competitive hunting games. Yayyyy...;)
d

Sheri said...

Exactly! Who are these parents who ruin the "easy" holidays for us with gifts? My kids think they're supposed to get real swag at Easter and Valentine's Day! I asked my 16 year old son if I was his Valentine and he said, "Of course not." Then don't expect a gift, I replied. I used to get a $1 bill in a card from my lovely cheap grandma on Easter and V-day IF THAT. I was really rocking with $5 or $10 for a birthday! Spoiled kids.

Unknown said...

I took my kids to one egg hunt and I will never go again. They did divide the kids into age groups so older were not with younger. I was with the older girls 4 or 5 years old. The kids were crazy! My girls were kinda slow and choosy, so all the eggs near us were gone. One girls basket was dumped. Kids/vultures swooped in and took all of her eggs. My daughter and her friend each gave up one of there maybe five eggs so this poor, crying girl could have one. It took all of 3 minutes. What a waste of my time! I'll stick with the ones Easter bunny leaves in my back yard for my own 3 kids thank you very much!

Sherra said...

My girls get a chocolate bunny each. That's it. My husband was slightly appalled the first Easter we had our oldest and I didn't "do" a basket for her - he's used to it now. My girls have used the same darn baskets for years. We go to the community egg hunt each year and that's it. No big hullabaloo. Then they spend days hiding the plastic eggs around the house and "finding" them.

Anonymous said...

Apparently you are dealing with a true asshat! Please don't judge them all by her. We had a PTA president who was over the top magnificent...in her own mind... I really wanted to take part in the kids school, I stuck it out and met some amazing parents. Hopefully you'll find some like minded spouses in the group.

Anonymous said...

I nearly conducted an Easter massacre as I was attempting to help my friend's 14 month old get a couple eggs HIMSELF, and some bitch came and grabbed the eggs and threw them in her kid's basket (which was already overflowing) before he could even grab it. Don't get me started on the ... forget it. Having a stroke now.

Anonymous said...

I bought the kids great plastic easter baskets for their first easter that we reuse each year. Put some cute spring thing in there including beach towels and pool toys. Then we do an egg hunt in the back yard al on our own. Pink eggs are for my daughter and blue for my son and all other colors are fair game. The kids love hunting for them and we're always one or two short and searching the yard for it. My mom took the kids to the community egg hunt one year and she warned me that I should never attend. she said it was disorganized and parents/kids were out of control crazy over eggs. My kids each came home with 5-8 eggs each. She took them for a few years following that cause they asked to go, but I was never allowed to attend. Yeah my mom knows me, I'd be in a fight with any parent helping a child pick up plastic crap eggs before you could count to three. I can not hold my tongue, ever, really! I try not to do crowds :)

Lori G said...

Oh Morgan! Although I DO feel your pain, I love your description! Lmao!

Anonymous said...

I am that mom at Easter Egg Hunts (well actually anywhere) that if I see something unfair I cant help but to say something, thats whey we only went to 1 Easter Egg Hunt EVER! This year we are going camping with the family and Hiding Easter Eggs around camp. In their Easter Baskets will be things for outside, where kids belong not inside infront of the t.v.! Bubbles, Chalk, Seeds so they can plant some flowers, shovels, stuff like that!

Anonymous said...

Yipes! I might be the meanest mommie - i give my kids new toothbrushes to go along with the bubbles, sidewlk chalk, and chocolate bunnies!

Anonymous said...

The same thing happens at my town Easter egg hunt. There are signs posted everywhere on how many eggs kids can collect, and every year the same sh*thead parents let them collect as many as can fit in their baskets. One year my daughter got 1 egg because she wasn't "pushy" enough, it was ridiculous! Some parents really suck and ruin it for the rest of us! :/

Anonymous said...

I think that is awesome stuff!

iamgretch said...

Best Buy did one last year and it was a total mess, parents stealing eggs out of the hand of kids for a coupon! Not a tv, coupons for free dvd and the most $20 bucks. Leave it to me to have a kid that is happy to get one egg and open it to enjoy it right then while getting trampled. Grrr to parents like that. That's when I like to whisper things that aren't true...

Anonymous said...

I do toothbrushes AND toothpaste, pajamas (I would buy them anyway) I don't like my kids eating a lot of candy so I put just a little in and the rest of it is what is needed for them.
I also don't enjoy spending my money on trinkets that will get thrown away. So I also use this time to replenish school supply's :)
The baskets are usually something that can be played with outside.

Unknown said...

I totally went overboard for my son's first celebrated Easter. I swear, I bought one of every Easter item at Target...he was 1, and only played with two of the items. I have no idea what I was thinking. I've totally changed my ways since then. Nowadays Easter is a $5-bag-of-good-candy holiday, where I pour almost half the candy in a basket filled mostly with 50 cent grass, and eat the rest. Mmm, mmm. Thank you Easter Bunny. ;)

Unknown said...

I wouldn't know what all this mania is...I haven't woken up early enough to make it to one of these community Easter egg hunts since the year my son was born. Hahahah. True story!

joboosal said...

we used to go to one down the road at a retirement home, they old folks had so much fun seeing the young kids racing around the gardens, BUT, of course here's the BUT, we were disillusioned pretty quickly.....in the spirit of things we told our son, he was prob 4 or so at the time to find eggs till his bucket was full, pretty reasonable, we thought and then just kinda walked thru the home with him and out into the gardens. But no not the other parents they pushed, wheel chairs out the way filling TRASH BAGS with eggs. There was no prize for finding the most eggs and you had to return all the plastic eggs to a big container after you had decandied them....so what the fuck was the point of that? The old folks were horrified by these pushy bastards. We went twice and then gave up. Its not worth it, my so doesn't believe in that stuff anymore, he still gets his new bathing suit as his outfit for easter sunday tho ( ha love this!) and this year will get a new popsicle making kit cos all of our sticks broke on ours ....Why can't people just sit back and let kids be?

Amy said...

It's not just Easter Egg hunts. We have a local very minor league baseball team in our town. The local team hosted the All Star game for the league, and they had a home run derby night. The kids were allowed to sit on the hill behind the fence to shag the home run balls. An adult knocked over my 10 year old and landed on top of him to grab a ball. Really? It's for the kids, dude.

momofRR said...

This happened to us at a hunt this weekend. I thought the kids would be "released" into the big soccer field where over 1000 egg lay for 2 year olds. I told my 2yr old that the horn would blow and he could go and find eggs. Little did I know that when the horn blew parents would grab their Kid by the arm and run like there was money in the eggs. Parents were grabbing the eggs, kicking them towards themselves...it was ridiculous. The whole thing was over in 3min and my son got zero eggs. I was trying to protect him from getting trampled so I didn't get the chance to kick some 1 year old for his eggs. I will know better for next year! All for eggs filled with sweetarts and stickers. No prize for the most eggs or anything. We left with a 2yr old in tears...fun Saturday!!

Anonymous said...

This is why I don't do public egg hunts because I would jump the rope just to get in the face of the parent who stole or denied my son an egg and it would get ugly quickly. I wouldn't physically fight but I'd do my damndest to make sure that moron knew he was a fucking moron. Not that I'm an example because I generally think all people are stupid and just say to myself, "I hate people!"

Claire B said...

My MIL can't understand why I don't do a basket for my son. Erm, he gets some Cadbury's Mini Eggs and he thinks he won the candy lottery for the year! All I ever got as a kid was chocolate eggs, why is there a need for movies, toys, etc? It's just completely unnecessary and I'm not going to play along. As for the helicopter parenting and shoving little kids out of the way so your own kid "wins" the Easter Egg hunt??? GET A GRIP!! Wow.

Claire B said...

LMAO!

Anonymous said...

Books, hula hoop, jump rope, frisbie and balls for outside. I took my grandchildren one year and was so appalled by adult behavior we've never gone back. Now we have our own hunt where eggs are actually hidden around the house.

Momfever said...

I skimmed through this post because I want to read this book, and didn't want to read the spoilers. My eldest daugher has read the first two books and absolutely loves them.

Anonymous said...

It was on Keesler.

Anonymous said...

If it wasn't for preschool having an egg hunt, my 3 1/2 year old daughter would never do one. First, she's shy. Second, we're secularists and don't do the church thing. Preschool is so much easier. They MAKE their own baskets out of empty gallon jugs and each kid has to bring filled eggs, one for each kid in the school. Stickers with everyone's names are placed on the eggs, so each kid then has to hunt for eggs with their name on it - one for each kid from each kid. It turns it into a reading lesson (reading names) and keeps it fair. I LOVE it. Parents can come watch if they want. But then, this preschool is great so of course the egg hunt is equally great!

TNMom said...

I do admit that I practice at home with my girls ahead of time. Not so they can be pros at it but just so they know the concept of going, picking up and egg and putting it in their basket and moving onto another. I also practice courtesy with them. We only hunt with a few similarly aged cousins, but still. I'd wind up actually punching someone - for real!
Devan

Amanda said...

How did I miss this post?!! We have gone to only one Easter egg hunt in our lives. My oldest was 3. They said go and I have no idea what happened other than all the eggs were picked up in less than 30 seconds (not be kids BTW) and we left in tears without a single egg. People were passing us on the way to the car with their full baskets, asking us what was wrong. When I said "she didn't get a single Easter egg", they walked off like we had a disease.

Amanda said...

Me too, this is what I just wrote.

We have gone to only one Easter egg hunt in our lives. My oldest was 3. They said go and I have no idea what happened other than all the eggs were picked up in less than 30 seconds (not be kids BTW) and we left in tears without a single egg. People were passing us on the way to the car with their full baskets, asking us what was wrong. When I said "she didn't get a single Easter egg", they walked off like we had a disease.

Unknown said...

Thinking the prime promposal was in one of those eggs!

Unknown said...

i'm totally the mean mommy, too! my daughter gets some small dollar type toys & stickers, a small stuffed something and a few pieces of candy. in fact, this year we have focused on GIVING back in the Lent/Easter time. I usually give her spare change to put in her little bank, but this year we put that in a special bank to take to church on Easter and donate to hungry orphans who don't have an Easter basket.

Unknown said...

lol! Hilarious!

apeppersmith said...

Growing up mom and dad just hid eggs at home, and that's all I've done with my two, complete with a warning for my bigger one that anything out in the open is for his little sister, he has to hunt.

Unknown said...

Is there a book about people fighting over easter eggs?

Mommy Ink said...

sadly, this must be everywhere. so, this year i had our own in grammy's 3 acre backyard and invited friends. nothing better than happy kids, happy parents and a sunny day filled with great pictures, laughter & food.

Mommy Ink said...

every year my parents hid our baskets in the same place and yet we still ran like the world was ending to get to them. and for what? for jelly beans, mini chocolate eggs, almost gumball machine looking things, and a giant, chocolate easter bunny (which mom would always eat the ears from as soon as it was placed in the fridge). THIS made us happy.

NOT 40" color TVS, WII's, and other spoiled brat stuff. An easter basket is fun but WOW - the meaning to Easter, just like Christmas, has been totally destroyed.

And then we wonder what is wrong with our children.

I'm ashamed at communities putting on easter egg hunts with these prizes ESPECIALLY churches.

Mommy Ink said...

probably because somehow or another a kid would be laced or drugged in the states....WHY do ppl still want to come to this shithole?

Carla said...

I used to be in charge of the Easter Egg Hunt at our local Y. The first year I did it I was appalled at the parents. They would push little kids out of their way so they could pick up the eggs for their 3 month old. (Who brings a baby to an easter egg hunt anyway?!?) It wasn't an egg hunt for kids... it was hunting season for adults. All for some cheap ass Oriental Trading crap. It killed me seeing kids all upset because they didn't get a single egg because parents were being greedy.

The next year I didn't stuff any of the eggs. The kids had to turn in 10 eggs and get a goody bag. I made it crystal clear to the parents that it didn't matter if little Timmy and his parents picked up 10 eggs or the whole damn field... he was still going to get the same bag as everyone else. I didn't care if it pissed off the parents... all the kids wanted was to pick up the eggs anyway. The parents actually restrained themselves and the kids all found eggs.

Tristan said...

I get my kids...a basket for Easter...to hunt Easter eggs. My kids enjoy the game why do people feel the need to fill it with gifts? We dye the eggs as a family, lamppost the night before in our backyard and shock do Easter egg hunting without drama.

Donna T said...

I will guarantee you down the road these assholes raise the hyper aggressive kids who permeate youth sports. Just wait a few years to see how kids of those parents end up.

Jen said...

the only "presents" we ever got for easter were *maybe* cheap little stuffed bunnies and one year we got leather bound Bibles with our names embossed in gold on the covers. I still have that Bible....

Jen said...

most of the easter egg hunts in my area are actual hard-boiled eggs.... so unless you're particularly fond of egg salad or devilled eggs, you don't encourage your kids to get too many ....... hahahaha

Unknown said...

When you are old enough to ask for what you want in your basket, play time is over.

Jessica said...

Mean Mom over here too. They're getting a coloring book, small cheapie crayons, a pair of socks, cheapie bubbles, and some candy. Like others have said... stuff I'd probably buy anyways.

Stylewatcher said...

Well..I spent about $150 this year for my 6 year old's Easter "experience"....what the heck...he's my one and only and I enjoy doing it for him. As for the hunts...I admit I'm one of the Moms that used to help him when he was younger...only because of all the other parents doing the same. It's not about how many eggs he could get....it was about him getting at least one. I mean come on....you wait all morning for the hunt only to have a bunch of aggressive parents ruin it??? I had to help...there was no other choice.

The So Cal Byrnes Bunch said...

At last year's egg hunt by us, a "mom" (and I use the term loosely) was noted as laying her own grocery bag on the ground and scooping eggs/candy into it ... her child(ren) going their own way to collect more. HELLO DOUCHE ... how much do you really need? What are you teaching your children? Do you really need to "beat out" the 8 yr olds fat ass???

Julie Shender said...

I believe that you are the person being complained about in the original post.

Krysti said...

I'm from Colorado Springs and this memory still makes me cringe. It's so completely ridiculous.

Anonymous said...

My Mother in Law enjoys so much giving her two adult children amd 3 grandchildren easter baskets. She fills them so full of candy, i only buy my sons very small amounts of candy for their baskets from us. I don't want candy overload. I am one of those "mean" mommies, too apparently! TV's and XBOXes are ridiculous things to give for an easter egg hunt!

Jenna said...

We usually do easter egg hunts at home where it's within our control. We went to a neighborhood one one time and parents were forbidden to help kids older than 2. It went reasonably. I saw a cool idea on fb this week that would work for a smaller group of kids. Get different colored plastic eggs and assign each kid a color. They can only collect eggs that are their color. That way everybody gets to collect some.

Melissa said...

That is a really great solution to a crappy problem. Good for you!

Melissa said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Melissa said...

My Husband's family does this weird thing where they fill the eggs with change and hide them in the back yard. There's 4 kids (adults) and 5 grandkids that go searching. Everyone got like $20 in change, but last year was my first year actually participating since we usually went to my family's place for easter and the in-laws would just send us $30 in the mail. Anyways, last year I got to witness grown ass adults fighting over who got the most money. People just care about "winning" way too much. I can get pretty competitive playing cards or catch phrase, but there's a time and a place for enthusiasm I think.

Unknown said...

guess im part of the mean mom club as well, my kids get bubbles and chalk and we dye our own eggs and take turn hiding them . and we normally hide them two or three times and prolong our fun by finding them more then once. my older two always help the little ones and have even gone as far as taking an egg out of their shopping bag and dropping it in front of their little brother so he can do what they do. no need to go all out and buy big toys when a little family fun is priceless.

Unknown said...

I remember when I was little and I could not find any eggs (even though they were practically lying in front of me). Anyway, I got a "boobie prize" - it was a blue ball point pen. I was perfectly happy even though I was the ultimate loser.

Gwardy said...

The prizes seem a little uncalled for, it's suppose to be candy and little penny toys for the kiddos not a win a 65" Plasma event...that is just ridiculous.

Gwardy said...

Yep, is not a Christmas event. Going to our first egg hunt tomorrow at the local school if I see even a mention of top prizes I'm out of there. That is not what it's suppose to be about. Let kids be kids and look for eggs and get penny toys.

Gwardy said...

LOL That was good

Gwardy said...

I could understand being driven for the moral support but to go into the building even is questionable but to then go with to the interview process I be like sorry not hiring have a great day.

Gwardy said...

Same parents sit at the table int he restaurant staring at their phones and the 2-3 kids they have also have phones and are playing games. I always look at the wife and point and say "looks like an exciting family".

lea said...

awesome idea!

Tieliebird said...

OMG. I have never taken my daughter to a hunt. We have always (since I was a kid) had the Easter Beagle (Snoopy) who is the Easter bunny's "helper" hide eggs we decorated and our baskets and a few small presents. The fun in our family is seeing how crazy the Easter Beagle in hiding things: up in a tree, inside the bird feeder, on top of the swing set, in the bird cage, etc. We have a VERY creative EB :) My daughter loves it! And gifts are usually little things: this year my daughter is getting a book, a t-shirt to wear to the US Men's soccer game we are going to in June, and my sister is getting a roll of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles duct tape! My kid plays travel soccer, and she knows how to lose, is very polite, and is considered a "Good" kid by what we call the 'outside world'. She has her moments in private lmao. I get so irritated by "helicopter" parents. Why can't kids be kids anymore????

terrie1215 said...

Yeah that would be Boardman ohio. I went 1 year and all the parents and kids were pushing and shoving each other like a bunch of assholes. Needless to say that was my last time I was there!

terrie1215 said...

Yeah that would be Boardman ohio. I went 1 year and all the parents and kids were pushing and shoving each other like a bunch of assholes. Needless to say that was my last time I was there!

dkeywallace said...

We have a "Glow-in-the-Dark" egg hunt and every kid is given a number (written on their hands in washable marker) and they have to find the two eggs that match their number. Under 5 requires a parent to escort them around and the volunteers keep watch on people for who might be causing trouble.

LA Botchar said...

isn't it just how it all goes now though? Get them in Montessori, violin at 3, of course they watched all the Baby Einstein DVDs and played with only intellectually stimulating toys in their black and white geometrical shapes nursery. 4-5 activities a week to keep them busy and a Congratulations You Showed Up! ribbon each time?
Everyone seems to think they can create the next genius. and forgets the time for that to happen only took about 2-3 minutes and you and your partner were probably drunk.
But Good Luck with that anyway.

a mom who's getting older said...

wow Miss Stephanie, you must be so proud, it makes me think about one of the proudest moments I have of my daughter at an egg hunt; she was about 2, we went to an Easter egg hunt at a local church in my small town. the kids were divided into age groups but not very....well fairly .my daughters group 2-6 years old, the kids were huddled around a large pile of straw with eggs mixed in parents were allowed to " help" the kids when the word was given most children and their parents acted like animals pushing and shoving smaller kids etc it was one of the ugliest things I had ever seen even now it ranks up there, anyway as the animals went at it I stood back with my daughter watching in horror we ended up because of the way things were being thrown and kicked around in the straw my kid only got 2 eggs that had been overlooked by others in a hurry, with only 2 eggs in her basket as we were standing there my daughter noticed another child who's basket was empty and she was crying my toddler went up to that other child and took one of her 2 eggs and handed it to her, as her parents and myself looked at each other no words were needed the little girl said thank you my daughter said your welcome then looked at me and said can we go home now she never wanted to go to another one. my child is 22 now and I am still reminded of that long ago Easter every year. I think my memory is far better than any TV or ipad

snowbunnyfoofoo said...

I never took my kids to community egg hunts, we always colored eggs at home the night before, and the kids woke up on Easter day to a very simple basket that had some Easter themed candy and a few things like kites, sidewalk chalk, small water guns, silly string, yo-yo's, Easter themed stickers and pencils, etc., and always a chocolate bunny! ALL of the grown-ups that weren't escorting babies around hung out around the grill and food, nobody "assisted" any of the kids...well, except that one uncle that would give “hints”, telling them to go look in crazy places =) The older kids helped out the younger ones that might be having a hard time. We had three or four "prize eggs" with various prizes like $1 bill, or a “coupon” for a sundae at the local ice cream shop or something more age appropriate (and instant) for the little ones such as a full size candy bar, never TV's or game systems...that's absolutely appalling! I didn't witness it nearly as much when my kids were little (they're 16 & 19 now), but almost everyone I know now with kids under 10 or 11 years old goes to those mass egg hunts and buys their kids “Easter presents”! For example, this past Easter, one of my friends literally spent over $200 on her ONE child with things like Xbox games, whole bags of candy, movies, etc., and another friend made her child THREE Easter baskets including a Nintendo Wii U and games; one basket for each place they were going to hunt eggs (which were those mass hunts in 3 different towns)! I literally don't know a single family that boils and dyes eggs and stays home for egg hunts any more.

Unknown said...

Think of these parents & then imagine them dealing with teachers, my profession [was infantry]. And mind you, I teach in Montana, where accountability & respect still has credence. Our state is being flooded however, with these Easter egg hunting types.

Jewels said...

I don't have kids yet, but having worked as a live-in nanny, I learned *long* ago to avoid "community" Easter Egg hunts as if the eggs held the plague instead of candy. I took kids to what was supposed to be a big hunt for kids of all ages at a park in Jacksonville, Fl, once (and *only* once) with two boys (9 and 6) and a girl (2.5.)

The hunt was to start at 9am. We walked up at 9:02. Everyone was gone or leaving - most carrying empty baskets. Confused, I asked a parent if they had cancelled the hunt. She told me that, a couple of minutes before 9, someone came out, dumped an actual *garbage bag* about half full of empty plastic eggs on the grass in front of the crowd, and walked off. (Quite sad, as it was a fancy park with go-cart type activities and little cafes.)

Walking away was probably smart, though, since it wasn't a hunt - it was a bloody free-for-all. She said kids were pushing each other over while adults stepped on toddlers' fingers to get at the (again, empty!) eggs - and that the eggs were all gone in under 90 seconds.

Needless to say, I wasn't sorry to have missed THAT. The two boys were a bit disappointed - until I got them ice cream. Needless to say, double scoop ice cream cones with sprinkles outrank getting stepped on for empty plastic eggs any day.

So, yeah - even if I wasn't an atheist with no use for Easter as such, I shan't be taking my kids to a public hunt if/when the time comes, as I highly doubt that this sort of idiocy is going to get better with time. A small basket with some chocolate, Peeps, jelly beans, bubbles, and maybe a small stuffed bunny made me happy when I was a kid, and I'm sure it'll be just fine for mine.

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