As a therapist (and part time writer), here's some of the issues I deal with about this time of year:
* "Although I am not ultra-religious, my brother is an angry religion hater. At Easter time he likes to tell my young kids that Easter is when we celebrate the day the Easter bunny was born." ~or~
* At the annual Easter egg hunt, dumb bunny parents are yelling at their kids! ~or~
* "I love to serve lamb for Easter meal. My 'rural' cousin, just before the blessing will always say, 'ewww, mutton? Who ever eats a smelly sheep?!'"
______________________________
Three issues? So whatever shall I do? So I made a mature and well thought out decision as to which issue to address: I flipped a coin.
Happy Easter everyone.
ps It's really not the celebration of the birth of the Easter bunny......
Hey John,
This past weekend I took my two girls to a local park for the annual Easter egg hunt. It was pretty well organized and quite crowded. It was divided into age groups to make it more fun for the kids. Both of my girls found a bunch of eggs full of candy, and they had a good time. The problem was with me. I was really bummed out by the behavior of some of the parents. Some of the mothers were screaming orders out to their little kids in order that they could find more eggs. One mother was yelling, “Billy! BILLY! Turn to your left! NO!! YOUR LEFT!! Oh for God’s sake”. Another mother admonished her six year old, “is that all the candy you got?!”
My question is, should I tell these parents to be joyful for their kids, me just be quiet, or simply not take my kids back?
Easter Blues
Dear Bluey,
It is unfortunately a reality that some of these parents belong in cages, not in public places. Doing “free counseling” with knuckleheaded parents can be helpful, but can also result in angry, inappropriate responses. The real question is: did your kids enjoy themselves? If they were blissfully unaware of the tightly wound noisy parents, and were pleased with participating in the event, it would seem that future participation may be good for them. Personally, I would go down to the local hardware store and buy a pair of those squishy little earplugs. As the event begins, put them in and try to focus on your children. You can unplug yourself just as the event is ending. You sound like a kind and loving mother. I hope your Easter was joyful.
* "Although I am not ultra-religious, my brother is an angry religion hater. At Easter time he likes to tell my young kids that Easter is when we celebrate the day the Easter bunny was born." ~or~
* At the annual Easter egg hunt, dumb bunny parents are yelling at their kids! ~or~
* "I love to serve lamb for Easter meal. My 'rural' cousin, just before the blessing will always say, 'ewww, mutton? Who ever eats a smelly sheep?!'"
______________________________
Three issues? So whatever shall I do? So I made a mature and well thought out decision as to which issue to address: I flipped a coin.
Happy Easter everyone.
ps It's really not the celebration of the birth of the Easter bunny......
Hey John,
This past weekend I took my two girls to a local park for the annual Easter egg hunt. It was pretty well organized and quite crowded. It was divided into age groups to make it more fun for the kids. Both of my girls found a bunch of eggs full of candy, and they had a good time. The problem was with me. I was really bummed out by the behavior of some of the parents. Some of the mothers were screaming orders out to their little kids in order that they could find more eggs. One mother was yelling, “Billy! BILLY! Turn to your left! NO!! YOUR LEFT!! Oh for God’s sake”. Another mother admonished her six year old, “is that all the candy you got?!”
My question is, should I tell these parents to be joyful for their kids, me just be quiet, or simply not take my kids back?
Easter Blues
Dear Bluey,
It is unfortunately a reality that some of these parents belong in cages, not in public places. Doing “free counseling” with knuckleheaded parents can be helpful, but can also result in angry, inappropriate responses. The real question is: did your kids enjoy themselves? If they were blissfully unaware of the tightly wound noisy parents, and were pleased with participating in the event, it would seem that future participation may be good for them. Personally, I would go down to the local hardware store and buy a pair of those squishy little earplugs. As the event begins, put them in and try to focus on your children. You can unplug yourself just as the event is ending. You sound like a kind and loving mother. I hope your Easter was joyful.
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