To think one Easter egg a child is enough

[brexitstolemyfuture]

I'm not a total killjoy, but i want to limit their intake to one over Easter and give away the others.

Even just one contains 16 tea spoons of sugar! Seeing as sugar is linked to diabetes, obesity and cancer i do want to limit it. They've been given 8 eggs each so far, with at least two more to come over the weekend. It's just too much imo.

[HomityBabbityPie]

I'm 27 and my mum has always got us a little Easter present. Usually something Easter/spring themed. It's sweet.

[UnbornMortificado]

I don't think giving some excess eggs away to people who may not have any is mean.

It's a good thing to teach our children surely?

[TittyGolightly]

I wonder if Easter is still a 'thing' in the proper sense or if its just a commercial exercise nowadays? We're not even Christian but I was brought up as one and when Ive mentioned Biblical reference to my UK based Christian family the wee ones look at me as if I have two heads.

Eggs aren't Christian anyway. The Christians stole most of the things you associate with Easter.

[Itaintme]

Do you show the kids the eggs first and say "look what you could have had"

[TimetohittheroadJack]

Easter eggs are so cheap though! I buy for my 4 dd's + 8 nieces and nephews. If everyone gets a egg it costs me less than 20 quid. Anything else, even colouring books etc, would cost much more. Especially the teenagers - they will eat and enjoy an egg but can think of anything else between 1-3 quid they would appreciate.

[TittyGolightly]

Why the need to buy them anything?

[BillyButtfuck]

My dtwins just turned one and between relatives and friends they have 6/7 each! Plus a whole load of kinder eggs and buttons.
They've only ever had a few chocolate buttons before and there's no way I'm going to start giving them a load of chocolate everyday just to get rid of it.
We are keeping one or two eggs each for them and the rest are going down to the food bank.

[TimetohittheroadJack]

titty why not? Why do you buy Christmas presents, or birthday presents? Plus you can't turn up at someone's house, they give your children s present and their children are left empty-handed!

[ForTheSakeOfFuck]

Titty The solution to one extreme is not to go entirely to the other. It's as ridiculous to force a child to be the exception among all their friends and get nothing at all, when the norm is to get something, as it is to try to give the child more than any other child. Neither is healthy or helpful. A single egg is hardly the most egregious profligacy, and it means your child gets to be part of the whole cultural norm that is Easter.

[TittyGolightly]

I meant for other children. We're seeing 6 nieces and nephews this weekend and haven't bought them eggs. Spending time with them is way more important than bowing to a "cultural norm", isn't it? We don't buy for Xmas either. Maybe we're not into "stuff".

"Everyone else is doing it" doesn't hold much sway with me.

[BrownAjah]

My family go crazy with eggs at easter too. They had far too many so we sorted through them together and selected some to donate to a local charity today. Me and DH kept one big nice one each and the kids now have 2 big eggs each and 2 small choc animals each. Then a neighbour gave them another small egg each and we still have the inlaws to come over the weekend so I think that's enough!

Our kids were happy to know they would be making kids who don't have much a bit happier at Easter- it's a nice thing to do.

[ForTheSakeOfFuck]

TittyGolightly: I meant for other children.

Unless you plan to call ahead to all possible egg-gifters, this can lead to an awkward lack of reciprocity. Of course, people could blanket-say "Don't buy my kids eggs please" but I can see how quickly that could be forgotten. Also, buying a gift in place of an egg runs the risk of seeming grabby. A cheap egg might cost £2. An equivalently priced gift is likely to be a piece of crap. In short, it's easy to see how busy people with lots to think of default to the simple rule of "Give each kid an egg".

[MrsPeelyWaly]

I wonder if Easter is still a 'thing' in the proper sense or if its just a commercial exercise nowadays? We're not even Christian but I was brought up as one and when Ive mentioned Biblical reference to my UK based Christian family the wee ones look at me as if I have two heads.

Eggs aren't Christian anyway. The Christians stole most of the things you associate with Easter

The Heathens!

[allegretto]

We have one per child but all nice chocolate so about 20 euros each. Id rather this than lots of cheap choc!

[ForTheSakeOfFuck]

TittyGolightly: "Everyone else is doing it" doesn't hold much sway with me.

It didn't hold any water for my parents either. How I LOVED being the kid at school who didn't get any Easter eggs because "it's a waste of money", got my bedroom decorated as a Christmas present because "at least I'd get some use out of it", was given the cheapest brand of trainers that attracted horrible bullying because "fashion is for idiots", got sent to school with my lunch in a Netto's plastic carrier bag because "it's just a bag, anyone who's stupid enough to make your life a misery for that isn't worth knowing". What an utter joy it was to be bullied on a daily basis because of all those little things that set me out as an exception. And none of these choices were down to us being ridiculously poor, I should add. They were "lifestyle choices" that my parents made for me, and for which I took the brunt of the consequences.

Like I've said before, there are balances to be struck. A child doesn't need a dozen chocolate eggs (or the most expensive trainers, or a carrier bag from Harvey Nicholls) but it is nice not to be forced to be the odd one out.

[TimetohittheroadJack]

Do you have children titty? Surely you can't possible rock up to family gatherings, where your children get given presents/eggs and say 'we don't do presents'. If it's organised in advance with the adults 'no presents' , fine but otherwise you can't have your children receiving gifts while others don't.

I'd rather not do 'stuff' either. My house is full to bursting with toys/clothes/make up/God only knows.

[TheCuriousOwl]

I bought 4 of the small eggs and have hidden them in my spare room, and I will be rationing them out waaay after Easter because Easter egg chocolate is the absolute best

We used to get one egg each as children. Now we get one, plus maybe another one if my mum is feeling extravagant!

I've only just finished my Christmas chocolate and my boyfriend thinks I'm weird.

[MycatsaPirate]

Sweets and chocolates are not 'bad things' in this house. I try and encourage both my DD's although oldest is 18, to have a healthy relationship with food. So although dD loves chocolate and this morning scoffed her egg from the NT hunt yesterday (she has had it since lunchtime yesterday but only chose to eat it this morning) she will also choose something healthy to eat.

We were very restricted with sweets and chocolate growing up. As a result at Easter I would literally make myself ill eating chocolate because it was seen as a 'treat' or something bad not to be eaten.

DD will get two main eggs (one is from my dsis), an egg from her friend, a chocolate rabbit, some mini eggs and a few other small bits. We have done some clues and they have 8 to find each.

I will say they can have them when they want them but when they are done they are done.

Half the issues are seeing foods as bad or as treats. In this house raspberries and strawberries are described as treats and are relished.

[TittyGolightly]

Do you have children titty? Surely you can't possible rock up to family gatherings, where your children get given presents/eggs and say 'we don't do presents'.

Yes. Just the one. Before having her we established the no present rule with adults and now doesn't get gifts from DH's family for anything. For a long time we took presents to be polite and year after year she got nothing in return. So now we don't bother. (They live far away so it's not an issue. It's unusual that we're seeing them this weekend but we're still not giving anything.)

[ragz134]

I get mine a small (£1) egg each, then in laws and SIL get them one. MIL did offer them money instead this year, but they chose chocolate! So they usually get 3 each, which lasts maybe a week at most. When they were smaller I used to melt the extra ones into cakes or something.
I don't eat them, though DH's are fair game after a week

[HighwayDragon1]

My DD got the camper van of bunnies that maltersers do, a small egg and two beanie boos. She will have 5 or 6 from family though, and will eat them over the next few weeks, with my help of course

[Salumeria]

As an aside, I'm a bit confused by the way all these children seem to already have been given their eggs.

Don't you keep them hidden until Easter Sunday? and if not, why not?

[ForTheSakeOfFuck]

Salumeria: As an aside, I'm a bit confused by the way all these children seem to already have been given their eggs.

We live about an hour's drive from the ILs thank god so they stop over irregularly with us, and we visit them. Since we can't guarantee an Easter meet-up, we just get given stuff at random intervals.

*Don't you keep them hidden until Easter Sunday? and if not, why not?

Not so much, but we probably will in future years. DS is too young right now to really understand that the eggs have any significant attachment to a given date.

[CreamCheez]

We used to get one from mum & dad, one from grandad. Maybe it's because they're so cheap nowadays? Folk just buy in bulk from the supermarket. MIL gets totally carried away when there's an offer...