Ana ran into the Easter Bunny last week at the shop. Although she initially was terrified of him - in a rare show of good street smarts - she has since been searching for him around every corner, and in every shop. There is simply no way to explain to a three year old that this bunny was just some guy - specifically a six-foot tall guy in his forties who, of his own free will and for motives unknown, dressed up in a fuzzy bunny costume in order to lurk in the sweets aisle.
 |
| Face in the egg. |
And so I take advantage of the situation, as any moderately bad parent would. When Ana knackers herself out at the playground and refuses to walk home I say: 'perhaps the Easter Bunny is
just around that next corner...shall we go look?' And like magic, she steps right into line and goes looking for him all the way home.
In my defense, the seeds for this fib were sown long ago, and this is merely an example of an apple returning to the tree. As my mum will confirm, 'just around the next corner' is a phrase that has been used in this manner for generations in my family. Perhaps Ana will someday, and after much therapy, forgive me for this Easter Bunny foible.
In the meantime happy Easter to bunny-men and humans alike!
We all say things that our parents said to us without even noticing half of the time. Your Easter Bunny line is harmless, there is nothing wrong with a bit of excitement and anticipation.
ReplyDeleteJust posted some pictures of an Easter Bunny in Miami where we were on holiday. I haven't seen one here yet - maybe I'm not looking in the right places
ReplyDelete"Just round the corner", "not long now" and "in a couple of minutes" are well used in our house and when i say them i am my mother!
ReplyDeleteThanks MIS, Ritz and Frankie - glad I'm not alone in employing this strategy!
ReplyDeleteSally, thanks for your note - I am so chuffed that someone has nominated my crazy little blog, out of the many fabulous parenting blogs out there. I'll have a look on Monday morning - thanks again.
~M
Congratulations on your MAD nomination! Don't worry about the therapy you envisage Ana needing for your promises of delights always being 'just around the corner' - you are teaching her to see life as a glass half full, not half empty, and that's an important life lesson! Pictures only from me for now, oh lazy cow, but words to return soon. You are the only blog I visit in a snatched moment before bed on a Sunday...:-)
ReplyDeleteHah, exactly, an important life lesson! You know zookeeper, you are welcome to swing round here and lend a flattering light to my slack parenting skills any old Sunday evening :)
ReplyDeleteLovely pics as ever on your blog, hope you and yours are well these days and getting in some nice family time over the bank holidays.
~M
Have left my other 'alf doing a messy garden project (re-decking and turning garden from a dog paradise into a child heaven) and escaped to my aunt's in the country. As I said over at my gaffe, the chickens are country foul, although I grew up with chickens in the garden in SW London until the nasty urban foxes got them!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your award!!!
ReplyDeleteIt takes what it takes, I think we all channel our mother at times.The good thing about it is we come to understand exactly how our own mother felt in that situation/instant.
So very true - having kids has given me a great sympathy for my mum, as I now realize all the hundred-million ways I must have inconvenienced her and driven her up the wall!
ReplyDeleteHa! I use this same tactic. Except, instead of the Easter Bunny, I use fruit snacks as a motivator. "Maybe there are some fruit snacks in there!" is a powerful motivator to get things done.
ReplyDeleteFruit snacks, very clever KLZ! A way to employ 'just round the next corner' line, but also impress fellow humans with your healthy parenting skills...so I'm gonna try that too, maybe even take it further: 'hey maybe the Easter Bunny is just around that corner with some free-range, organic, omega-3 tofu'. I can't imagine how bait like that could ever fail to tempt a three year old...
ReplyDeleteAh the good old 'dangling the carrot' works every time! Bunnies like carrots too so works on both levels ;) x
ReplyDelete"Just around the corner" sounds like a similar version of my dad's "I'm going to see a man about a dog". Needless to say I waited by the door everytime he went out hoping he'd come back with a puppy. The dog never turned up. Aren't parents mean?! x
ReplyDeleteThanks Heather, dangling the carrot is currently our preferred strategy, for rabbits and kids. But when that fails, I will try dangling the puppy - great idea Molly.
ReplyDeletethat's how we train 'em...!!! bribery with non existent giant bunnies with a fetish for chocolate eggs!!!!
ReplyDeletebrilliant!
tamsyn xxx
Love it! So much of our lives is 'just around the corner', isn't it?
ReplyDeleteI spend most of my time walking round tesco with Emma saying .. where is Mickey? the object being at the end we look at the DVD boxes!
ReplyDeleteWe use the same expression a great deal!
ReplyDeleteHope you had a lovely Easter x
Ooo, great idea. Next chance I gt I'm going to try it. Thank you. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you agree Tamsyn!
ReplyDeleteAllison, you make a good point - this technique works wonders with grown-ups too.
Alyson, now I can shop at tesco again, thanks for the tip.
Thanks Ella, same to you and yours :)
CBM - pleasure - I am a fount of rubbish wisdom.
~M
"I'll be right there"is one I use too often... And LOOK, it's Santa! Just over that way.
ReplyDeleteNice post Mamita
A