In two short days yet another holiday/occasion with a mythical being attached to it will be upon me. I can’t help but wonder who’s bright idea it was back in the day to make up these magical beings…the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, Leprechauns…. What were they thinking? How did they weave the stories behind them that have gotten millions of adults and children to believe in them and keep them going?
I know my opinion probably is not one of the most popular in the world, but I really wish these imaginary beings didn’t exist. Yes, I love to see the joy on my children’s faces as they come down the stairs to find the presents under the tree, an Easter basket overflowing with candy or a crisp dollar bill under their pillows. The wonder of believing in the magic of these wonderful gift-bearing creatures brings happiness? Right?
The thing is their existence always puts me in an awkward quandary. Inevitably, my little one will start with the questions. “How does the Easter Bunny get in our house? How does he carry the basket? Where does he get all the eggs?” I struggle to answer her questions. At least with Santa the “stories” go way back and the layers of mythology are deep. So answers to her questions are more readily on the tip of my tongue. I’ll admit I’m a pretty bad liar especially on the fly.
My oldest daughter was the first to figure out that I was the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy. I remember her asking me, “Mommy are you the Easter Bunny?”
“What do you think?” I replied.
She solemnly nodded her head.
“Are you disappointed?” I asked.
“No,” she said. “I’m relieved. It kind of creeped me out thinking about that bunny being in our house.”
She made sense. If Santa and the Easter Bunny can get into our house while she slept, what prevented the bad guys and monsters from getting in too? My daughter has always had a hard time falling asleep – afraid someone could get in. I assured her monsters, vampires, warewolves, etc. are made up and didn’t existence. In her mind, if the Easter Bunny could get in so could the wicked witch.
A couple of days later, she asked if I were Santa too. By the end of the week she knew the secret of the Tooth Fairy as well. I told her not to tell her friends or the other kids so as not to spoil the secret for them. She agreed. However, a week or so later my sister called to tell me my daughter had spilled the beans to her cousins.
“Sorry,” I told my sis. “She asked and I couldn’t lie any more.”
That said my youngest is still a believer. It will be a relief when she too figures it all out. I know it won’t be long as she’s a smart one. What worries me though, is that she’ll then jump to the conclusion that Jesus and God aren’t real either. After all you can’t see them either. You are just expected to have faith and believe in their existence, just as when we are children we are called to believe in Santa and the Easter Bunny only to find out they are not real. That are parents were duping us all along. But I do have faith in God, in answered prayers, in miracles. Its just that these other ‘fake’ beings seem to muddy everything. Sure I can be the Easter Bunny, Santa and the Tooth Fairy, but I am definitely not up the part of God. I want my children to believe the things I tell them and so perpetuating the existence of these magical beings is hard for me. I want them to trust me.
It’s a little late now though to go against the grain. I went along with the ‘crowd’ and played the part this long. I believed in the Easter Bunny as a child and I still have faith in God; I feel His presence every time I look into my child’s eyes. I know my children will have that faith too. I will make sure of it.
What do you think? Is the Easter Bunny a bad rabbit?
Related articles
- Why Do Atheists Celebrate “Easter” And What Do They Teach Their Children? (topicspill.wordpress.com)
- The Origin of The Easter Bunny (wholesalehalloweencostumes.com)
- Easter: Pagans, Peeps, Good Eggs, and a Bad Bunny (thewritesideof50.com)
- Where Did The Easter Bunny Come From? (mentalfloss.com)
Undaunted 
For starters you don’t actually have to do the Santa Claus thing. I know a family who doesn’t. They have a lovely daughter who opens presents from Mommy and Daddy and her extended family and friends. She is not traumatized by this in anyway. Children have a capacity for imaginations that extends beyond Santa, the E-bunny and the T-fairy.
Second, on the subject of God and Jesus. As a child I did make the leap from not believing in Santa to not believing in God. I’ve been an atheist all of my adult life. I must tell you that this is not the worst thing in the world. It’s not a bad thing at all actually. I’m happy. I have decent morals. I have a sense of wonder about the universe.
I’m careful when I talk about these things with my kids not to tell them that there is no God. They need to figure out for themselves what they believe. When you asked your daughter “What do you think?” you were doing her a great service. That question says that you respect her beliefs, and that her opinions matter. You’re doing it right.
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Thanks for sharing. I can see how making the leap from no Santa to no God happens. I’ve pondered that question in my mind over and over again. I like the idea of letting your children decide for themselves.
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts about the Easter Bunny. We made the choice not to do Santa, the Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, etc., with our children exactly for the reason you stated – that we didn’t want them to ultimately doubt God/Jesus. I also grew up believing in Santa and the Easter Bunny and have a strong faith now, but I didn’t want to take that chance with my children. That being said, we still do presents under the tree, baskets of candy, and something under the pillow for the first tooth lost (we have 5 children close in age and would quickly go broke otherwise LOL). My oldest (12 yo) actually thanked me for having not lied to him about these things.
TaMara
Tales of a Pee Dee Mama
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Thanks for your insights. My little one actually asked me on Saturday if the Easter Bunny was real and it if were me. She wasn’t disappointed in that fact either. I wish I’d done what you did from the very beginning!
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I really enjoyed your blog. Thanks for linking to mine, otherwise I may have never had the opportunity to read your story. While we come from different ideologies we both have very similar thoughts on how we raise our children. It sounds like you’re doing a wonderful job!
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Thanks! And you’re welcome! I love how wp recommends similar posts. I’ve found a lot of great reads that way including yours!
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I don’t think I’ve figured out that feature yet!
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If you are creating your post in the view where you can see the Publicize this links (not the quick post), you’ll see related posts in the bottom right corner.
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That’s awesome thanks for the tip!
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