Balancing fantasy and truth

By Kristen Pind

As a parent, how do you find that balance between fantasy and truth? How do you teach your children to believe in fictional characters like the Easter Bunny but also to know that the real reason to celebrate this day is because of Christ?

We are non-traditional parents compared to most of our friends. We walk that tight balance between turning a holiday into a consumerist day versus a religious holiday. I can honestly say I don't know of a single friend of ours who tells their kids that Santa and the Easter Bunny are real and who also go to church.

Our churchgoing friends choose not to engage in the secular part of Easter and Christmas but to focus solely on the fact that we celebrate those days because of Christ. I understand their logic, most have said their reasoning is because they don't want to take away from the magnificence that is the birth and death of Christ. Some have said they don't want to lie to their children and others have said it is because they don't want a fictional character to get credit for things they have painstakingly picked out and purchased for their children.

I understand all of that. I also remember the excitement of Christmas and Easter mornings, the search for eggs hidden by that tricky bunny and the joy that seeing a half-eaten cookie from Santa brought. I want our children to experience that joy. To search for their hidden Easter baskets at 6 a.m. like we did. To sit on Santa's lap and tell him all the things they have been dreaming about.

That's why in our house we do both. It does sometimes get tricky getting a 3-year-old to understand that this day is not because of the Easter Bunny but because Christ made the ultimate sacrifice. It takes patience and time. It also takes tact. You can't explain the crucifixion to a 3-year-old with the same detail you can a 12-year-old, but they will understand, they will get it. You just have to try.

My kids both are slowly understanding the reason we celebrate but they also are making many memories and continuing many traditions that were started years ago. I hope my kids someday fully understand Easter and Christmas and why they are important, but for today I am just glad they have enjoyed that 6 a.m. basket search and then prayed a prayer of thanksgiving for the day that they have.