Why is it that holidays always seem to bring out “those”parents and kids (that’s right you know who you are!) I’m not saying it’s everyone (maybe only 10-20%), but they do come out and make us wonder what happened to good old-fashioned manners in this modern world.
This past weekend at an early community Easter egg hunt I saw just about everything:
The GOOD:
- Families together for a FUN holiday event.
- A community working together towards a fundraising effort.
- Kids excited to meet the Easter bunny and collect lots of eggs.
- The sharing of eggs between siblings and friends.
- Kids respecting other kids egg territory – no grabbing and shoving kids aside.
The BAD:
- Adults talking egg hunt strategy with a 3-year old before, during and after the hunt – How to accumulate the most eggs…No coaching, please!
- Helicopter parents running on the field with their 3-4 year old, with the main purpose of trying to help them collect the most eggs. If your kids know how to walk they should be able to tackle this race on their own.
The UGLY:
- Parents encouraging kids to fill up their baskets to the max. How about encouraging a little bit of fairness when others only have a few eggs?
- Kids and parents shoving their way to the front of the line to get a good start. Patience??
- Parents pretending not to see their kids sneak into the field before the egg hunt officially starts. Yes, we know you saw them but chose to say nothing!
- Kids pushing and shoving in order to collect more eggs. Please, hands to yourself we are not playing touch football.
- Kids clearly in the wrong age group gathering eggs fast and furiously. What happened to honesty?
This post is a gentle reminder to enjoy Easter, and not to become one of “those” parents or kids. Please, take this time to help your kids remember the importance of respect and kindness! Kids remember to have fun but also practice patience, respect and sharing!
Happy Easter!
Best,
Suzanne Wind
Mom with a Mission
Author of The SMART Playbook – Game-changing life skills for a modern world.
