Christmas is most kids' favorite holiday, but Easter has held a special place in my heart since I was a little girl. I think a lot of it has to do with the start of spring, pretty pastels, and lots of chocolate. But one thing I've never liked about the holiday is having to sit on the Easter Bunny's lap and pose for an uncomfortable photo. I've yet to do it with my daughter (she hated Santa Claus so much), but if we decide to do that, then we'd have to learn how to survive a photo session with the Easter Bunny first.
I mean, regardless of what my toddler thinks of stuffed bunnies and real, soft bunnies (spoiler alert: SHE LOVES THEM), a person dressed in a giant Easter Bunny costume is totally different. You've seen the pictures. Giant, mesh eyes, an unsettling smile with those big buck teeth, and did I mention the word 'giant' yet? Because my God, it's like they can only find abnormally tall people to fill those things. There's always a giant fake carrot nearby, too, and you know what? I don't blame any kid for freaking out just a little bit and refusing to smile with a bunny that looks like something out of Donnie Darko and is going to leave you more giant, edible bunnies in a basket.
But memories, right? If you're absolutely convinced that your kid's childhood will not be complete without a photo of the Easter Bunny, there's one way to survive the photo session:
Think of the memes you can make.
Every year, there's a blog post or two (or three hundred) full of the hilariously creepy photos of children with Easter Bunnies. It's like a parenting rite of passage. Much like the crying Santa Claus photos, the terrified look of shock Easter Bunny photos are a must.
I mean, I'm not telling you to capitalize on your child, but . . . OK. It kind of sounds like that. But the only way you're going to survive a photo session with the Easter Bunny is to think about how funny it's going to be in a few years. Bright side, right? When your kid is 14 and has no memory of that moment, you can pull up the photo. Especially if you captioned it with something like JUST KEEP THE CHOCOLATE, and have a good hearty laugh at your child's expense.
They're going to spend the rest of their lives making your hair turn gray and cry yourself to sleep, you might as well have this one thing, right?
And don't worry. There's a great lesson from a photo session with the Easter Bunny for you, too — stop spending so much money on those Easter outfits that you can't even see because they're reaching for you and trying to kick the Easter Bunny in the knees. You're welcome.
