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Hippity-Hoppity
Monday, April 18, 2011 by Jeannie Fleming-Gifford
Are you celebrating? Yes, Easter is hopping our way on Sunday. If you are celebrating, how will (or won't) it be different this year with a munchkin in your life?
Not to offend, but I often feel more spiritually connected through a good hike in the woods than I do sitting in the pews of a church. I won't go into a big religious discussion here. After all, this is a blog about child development and not religion.
Still yet, I often ponder the role religion will have in my munchkin's life, both now and later.
As a unitarian, I DO enjoy celebrating and recognizing religious hoildays with my family. Easter is definitely one of these. It's not only a lovely celebration of life, renewal, and spring, but all the other hoopla that goes along with Easter is pretty fun too. There's coloring eggs and chocolate, Easter egg hunts, and one more reason to buy that cute spring dress this year both for me and my little girl.
The first Easter with our baby we were planning for the festivities at our home. She was just about 8 weeks old. Everything was so new. We were still early into our roles as parents, yet I planned for that Easter day as a day of tradition and celebration. Unfortunately, a late spring snow storm derailed that plan and we ended up venturing the hour south to less snow to see more family. It was still a memorable day.
Whatever your religious beliefs, holidays seem to take on deeper meaning when you become a family. Perhaps you are attacking this year's Easter day with vigor. From the Easter outfits to the religious services (or not), to the Easter egg hunts, the baskets, and the meal, the day can be filled with fun as well as a whole lot of stress.
As this Sunday approaches, remember to take the time to stop (even if for the brief second you may have between changing a diaper and the next feeding) and focus in on what this holiday means to you and what you want it to mean to your family.
Remember to keep it simple when you can.
Don't get bent out of shape if/when the Easter outfit meets its demise through a random spit-up or other (uh-oh) "incident."
If your little one doesn't like their Easter bonnet, so be it. Remember, no matter how little, they are still entitled to their opinions.
If the meal doesn't turn out like you had planned or other plans go awry, come back to where you started today.
What does this holiday mean to you and what, truly, do you want it to mean to your family?
Holidays can equal meaningful traditions, now, more than ever. Try to take it all in stride, both for you and your kiddo.
Happy Easter!
