How Easter Really Goes Down (with Tips to Survive)

Anniki Sommerville - 16 Apr 17

It’s funny how much of parenting is about expectation versus reality. Each time a big occasion comes up then we get really excited (Christmas, birthdays, Easter, summer holidays) and visualise some sort of perfect outcome. Lovely tablecloths, perfect food, well behaved children who are thankful for all they’ve received. But unfortunately it doesn’t always go down that way. Each time we are disappointed we realise that it’s our own fault. Our expectations were set way too high.

Here’s a few things about what REALLY happens at Easter:

There may more arguments than usual

Long holidays with lots of time spent with one another can result in a fractious time. Often the desire for everything to go well means that people are tense. There can be a bit more of that passive aggressive – ‘Well Mummy said she’d pack the picnic but looks like she forgot,’ or ‘Daddy didn’t check the car for petrol but that’s okay…we’ll just sit on the motorway forever until the tow-truck arrives.’ Arguing is normal. Not arguing ever is not.

Chocolate eggs don’t taste quite as good as you remember

This is true. The chocolate isn’t as tasty as it used to be. This is because it’s made by completely different companies who don’t understand the importance of keeping up the consistency. It’s also because we all wear rose-tinted specs and romanticise our own childhood.

There will always be someone who has made more of an effort 

Did you feel good about the ten minutes of craft you did making baby chicks in nests (basically sticking a chick in a ready-made nest and shouting TA-DA!) but then noticed that every other person on social media has made an Easter cake/hat/rabbit/tent/patchwork quilt to commemorate the day? And did you notice that one person even made a stained glass window with a giant rabbit and their child’s name inside?  Instead of feeling bad, just retire to the sofa and repeat to yourself – ‘I am enough. I do enough. I have enough,’ whilst sipping on a giant cup of tea (and munching on some of that chocolate that doesn’t taste the same).

And we should celebrate people who make an effort (but not feel like we have to make the same effort too).

It’s okay NOT to eat a leg of lamb for lunch

All the adverts and promotions make it feel like it’s compulsory… but it’s not. You can eat sandwiches. Or baked beans on toast. Or spaghetti. There is no rule book that says we all have to do the same thing at Easter (it’s just easy for marketeers to target us that way). Tear the rule book up and eat what the heck you want. Lamb is lovely but so are beans.

It’s okay to feel grumpy now and then

Sometimes (because we put extra pressure on ourselves at these times), we can get grumpy. Acknowledge this.  Say ‘HELLO GRUMPINESS, COME AND MAKE YOURSELF COMFY FOR A BIT.’ Then write down in your head the 5 things that are making you grumpy. Then take that list and wrap it up with the lamb and the perfect craft activities and the chocolate eggs that don’t taste that great and chuck it in a giant mental bin called ‘STUFF I DON’T NEED TODAY THANKS.’

And maybe you’re surveying your perfectly-laid table with the roasted-to-perfection lamb and you’re wondering how come chocolate is becoming even more delicious each year and how come the Easter hat and nests turned out much, much better than you’d ever anticipated? Well Happy Easter to you.

And if you’ve opened up the packet and the lamb has gone a funny colour and smells bad and you’ve just clicked on Instagram to witness three million holiday shots of gorgeous beaches and fuzzy sunsets and personalised stained glass windows made out of recycled bottle tops…Happy Easter to you too.

And if you’re chanting ‘I am enough, I have enough, I do enough,’ with a child who is in the midst of a sugar meltdown. That’s how it goes down sometimes. You’re terrific. Happy Easter.

Anniki Sommerville

I'm Super Editor here at SelfishMother.com and love reading all your fantastic posts and mulling over all the complexities of modern parenting. We have a fantastic and supportive community of writers here and I've learnt just how transformative and therapeutic writing can me. If you've had a bad day then write about it. If you've had a good day- do the same! You'll feel better just airing your thoughts and realising that no one has a master plan. I'm Mum to a daughter who's 3 and my passions are writing, reading and doing yoga (I love saying that but to be honest I'm no yogi).

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