I was boiling eggs for our kids to color for Easter when I realized it was official… I’m a grown-up.
I am 45, and you would think this revelation would have hit me sooner. But my sisters and I all waited until our thirties and forties to have children and had an extended childhood of sorts.
I’ve been on my own since I was 23, but it wasn’t until I had my own children that my parents stopped coloring eggs with us, or at least, for us, if we couldn’t come early for the egg coloring. There was also a lovely Easter basket waiting for me on Easter morning.
As I was getting everything ready for our brood this year, it occurred to me that the torch has been passed. Memories of my own childhood are still on my mind, but they have been surpassed by memories I have of the family I created with my husband.
We’ve developed our own traditions, different from the ones I grew up with. A case in point would be my version of egg coloring, which is certainly not as professional as my father’s. He would faint if he saw the mess I made as I added color to the bowls because the kit I bought was not doing such a good job.
There were no kits in my house when I was growing up. We used food coloring. If my father had his way, we would have made dye from the vegetables and flowers my sisters and I would have had to forage for in the suburban wilds of Long Island.
Thank you Mom for keeping Grizzly Adams on a leash.
My father’s egg coloring operation was enough for an army of bunnies. The egg holders were fashioned out of wire: Store bought holders were not for us. The bowls of dye were lined in a row, and were laid out so the festivities could begin.
My father has been coloring eggs my whole life, even when there wasn’t a baby or child in sight.
My parents love to celebrate holidays. My mother made the most beautiful Easter baskets for us filled with handmade chocolate bunnies, intricately decorated sugar eggs, and other truly beautiful confections from speciality candy stores.
Mass-market bunnies were not for her girls. The baskets frequently had a theme, such as a garden or spring toys. I remember when I was eight she did a sewing theme and I got pink thread, a pin cushion, and sewing needles.
There was a magical excitement to walk downstairs and find the baskets we set out the night before lined in a row and filled with treats. Each basket was topped with a beautiful bow or ribbon that mom would put in our hair for church.
My sisters and I would giggle, eat jelly beans, and compare what the bunny brought us: “I got pink bubbles…” “I got blue…” “My bunny has a purple bow…” “Mine has yellow.”
The Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, and Santa Claus were all important traditions throughout my childhood. They were so important that long after we were children, my parents incorporated them into our holidays. Egg hunts and all. This of course was a source of amusement for our husbands.
The other day my 12-year old, Tom, and I were discussing our plans for Easter. It has been extra fun this year because our six-year old Peter has been so excited over the prospect of a visit from the Easter Bunny.
“Mom, it is so cute that he believes in the Easter Bunny,” said Tom, who was four when he figured there was no such thing.
“It just doesn’t make sense,” he said at the time.
I shared with him that, until he was born, my parents still hid eggs for me and his aunts. He thought this was hysterical. The image of his grown mother and her sisters looking for colored eggs was just too much. Then he said, “That’s so cute mom.”
My parents are in their glory now with seven grandchildren ranging from 12 years down to five months. My mother’s beautiful baskets are now reserved for her grandchildren, who open them up with the same amazement my sisters and I had.
The egg hunts are much more exciting now with children rushing all over the yard.
I relish the idea that years from now there will be a whole new generation talking about their own memories of my parents and the holidays they made special.
In my house, I am the one and only official Easter Bunny. Different perhaps then the bunny of my childhood, but just as special for our three children.
The chain continues.
I love this post, beautifully written. My parents went all out as well, and my husband found it amusing too. And sometimes I still get an Easter basket.
Lovely post! I’m the official Easter Bunny at home too. The kids wake up on Easter morning to hunt around the house and garden for eggs. They were worried that the Easter Bunny wouldn’t find them this year because we’re abroad – boy, was I relieved to find that the hotel we are staying at had free Easter Eggs in the lobby! Phew! 😀 Happy Easter, Kathy!
What wonderful family memories you have; hold them close, mate. Beautiful article too. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about your family and your parents. You are truly blessed.
Margot’s Magic Carpet
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What a great post! I love tradition and think it’s so fantastic that your parents provided such wonderful traditions, and ultimately memories for you and your siblings. It sounds like God has truly blessed you and your family.
Thanks for sharing this. 🙂
Blessings,
Rosann
Thanks so much for all of your comments and support! It’s funny how much the tradtions that we grew up with seem that much more important when we have our own families.
Hope you all had great holidays with great memories. My stand out will be the excitment on our six year olds face when he actually got to meet the Easter bunny at the restaurant we had brunch with my in-laws at! That, and when my eldest saw our youngest eat some cake with his fingers and said “Peter, we are at a really nice restaurant, we need our good manners” then handed him a fork. The “Okay Thomas, thanks” really made my day!
Beautifully written, I love my old family traditions, I also love creating new ones with my kids. They are like old, dear friends you get to see once a year! : )
Beautiful post and equally beautiful traditions. I find that now I am getting more into the more “Western” traditions that I wasn’t privy to growing up. My small children love the Easter Hunt each year and come Christmas time we all pack into the car and go sight seeing all the houses that have decorated their houses with lights.
Holiday are such special times and create such memories.
Haha, I’ve been reflecting on being grown-up at Easter time too… And: Stuff it. I’m going to enjoy my chocolate and not feel guilty about the calories!
Happy Easter 🙂
Hehehe…. love the term ‘extended childhood’. My sis and I enjoyed the same from my parents until I had Jack at age 30. My sis (who is 31 now and not a mom yet) says that even though Santa and the Easter Bunny doesn’t come for me anymore, he should still bring HER presents. LOL
Nina, that is so funny. My one sister had her kids a few years later than my other sister and me. Up until her first child was born two years ago she and my parents had a “private Christmas where they would exchange small presents with each other. My other sister and I would crack up over this!
Thanks so much for reading and supporting me guys! I love to read everyones comments!
I love this post Kathy! Your parents sound awesome! I think traditions make for such amazing memories. Most of my traditions are quite lazy, but they work.
It’s fabulous that you were doing Easter egg hunts into adulthood. I could use a good hunt myself right now. Maybe I’ll have my kids hide some eggs for my husband and me tonight. Hehehe!
We find we are starting our own traditions with our family too and I love that! I just posted about a new one we had a blast with this year that I know we will continue! I am the Easter bunny at our house too! But it’s fun and the kids still love it.
You are such a FANTASTIC writer! Your mom is my hero, she’s the exact kind of mom I want to be. The kind of mom that my daughter will write blog posts about one day. It sounds like you had a beautiful Easter filled with wonderous memories 🙂
Your parents sound wonderful. How great for you to have established such special traditions with your kids, based on what you grew up with but adding your style!
Hi Kathy, I just found your blog post on Bloggy Moms and thought I’d stop by. I was just talking to someone the other day about family traditions you pass on to your kids.
We did the egg thing yesterday too and it brought back some good memories.
Looking forward to reading more of your blog!
Jody
http://onepracticalwoman.blogspot.com/
Hi, Kathy! Thank you for stopping by my blog today. I really enjoyed reading yours and am now following you : )
It’s awesome to see parents taking time out for their kids. I am also looking forward to more posts.
modernearthdesign.blogspot.com
beautiful post. I too find myself following many of the “traditions” my parents started with us. The first Chriatmas morning when I was arranging the gifts for two kids (and not just one) it hit me that I was the parent now. Crazy what it takes to make us realize we are really adults. Thank you for sharing.
It is amazing to me how the traditions I have with my family now are so different from the ones I grew up with – but they still feel so real. It’s something I couldn’t have imagined being possible before it happened. I thought that I had to recreate it all exactly the way that I remember… but I love the traditions we’re building on our own.
Thanks everyone for such great and kind comments! The support means so much to me! I love that people seem to create their own tradtions with a nod to their past. I wonder what my own children will keep as they have their own familes and how they will expand these tradtions to fit the lives they create!
Thank you again, I love to read everybodys thoughts!
Loving reading about the different traditions we all have! Sounds like you had a great Easter. Great post my friend!!!
Steph from http://www.southernmomentum.com
It is funny to think of grown women hunting for Easter baskets & eggs. lol I love remembering my childhood holiday traditions, and am trying to pass them along to my girls also. Our oldest is almost 6 and still ‘believes’ though I’m not sure for how much longer.
I feel bad, through no fault of yours, but I suck at making our own traditions. I believe in it, I have always wanted to do it, but for some reason haven’t gotten around to doing it. Christmas I think is the easiest for me, but Easter?..well, I’m not quite there yet. Thanks for giving me my wake up call though 🙂
What a sweet tradition! And I love that it’s a tradition even for grown ups!
Visiting from SITS 🙂
Great post.
We also dyed some eggs. It’s not my favorite thing in the world though.
Congratulations on finally becoming a grown up. hehe 😀 I’m not yet.
I’m glad you found our blog. I’m now following yours as well. You write beautifully. Your family has some wonderful traditions and I look forward to exploring your blog some more!
Jenna
I love the little “Thanks Mom for keeping Grizzly Adams on a leash!”
Your dad sounds fantastic! I’m always a little bit in awe of the egg decorating thing. We never did it when I was growing up, and I still don’t do it. So kuddos to you for keeping the torch burning!
Sadly, this was the first time since the kids were born that we didn’t dye eggs. The kids just weren’t into it this year. We don’t make a big deal out of the Easter Bunny – probably b/c we go all out at Christmas and I’m still exhausted!
Your parents are lucky to have so many grandchildren to dote on. I have two kids; my only sister has one child; my husband’s only sister has none.
Hi, I have been become a regular reader of your blog. I have given you an award. The Versatile Blogger Award. Please collect your award at
http://pumpedoncaffeine.blogspot.com/2011/04/blog-award-from-sarah-at-curiouser-and.html
In reply to your blog comment: ban you from my blog? Never 🙂 I like that everyone is different. Some people were really into the wedding and there’s no problem with that! I admit, the cake looks tasty.
What a lovely and well written story. You reminded me of the years when I was older and my mom and I would make baskets for each other and hide them with a trail of clues leading all over the house. Those were fun times, except for the year I got my right and left mixed up, and there was my mom standing in the attic, unable to find the basket that was right behind her! Oops. I heard about that one for years! Mom has been gone for 20 years this month, but the precious memories remain. Thanks for sharing your memories, and may your family make many more.
Blessings,
Orea
http://orea-highervoice.blogspot.com/
I’m telling my kids I’m not the only one! I swear I’ll keep Santa going forever and ever… Even my older ones know just to humor me. But somehow I let it go with the Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy.