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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Easter eggs- how would you react

456 replies

Oilpyi · 04/04/2021 10:02

Asking for perspective, neither DH or I grew up with Easter Eggs or much in the way of things- it already seems indulgent, but I’m aware our perspective isn’t always the norm with the world the kids grow up in. That’s why I’m asking...

We’ve had a crazy amount of eggs this year. DH as a key worker was gifted a very generous pile. I got some through volunteering, kids got some from family and from clubs. I was planning to give some away as it seemed so many. They’d weren’t little or cheap either, ones with Lindt bunnies in, London, fancy M&S stuff etc plus some smaller ones with mugs. Not little eggs.

The ones from work etc were in a stack on a sideboard, along with some boxes of chocolate where they’d been for days. A box or two was open and we’d been sharing them already. Neither of us eat much chocolate ourselves and we generally have no issue with the kids slowly eating their way through it, which is what we normally do with gifted chocolate. Open one at a time/ one each at a time and let them eat.

This morning I had left the eggs from family on an armchair and said ‘Easter bunny’s been’ and left the kids while I showered. Fine them opening and eating.

When I came down they’d collected all the eggs and chocolate boxes from both rooms and had opened the lot, a huge pile of ripped boxes obviously frantically opened. They’d then made a pile each of eggs and chocolate sharing it out. Rubbish from boxes everywhere and they’d opened chocolate each and already the carpet was covered in chocolate bits (whilst I’m not Usually precious it was an instant Hoover need or they’d be chocolate stains over a wide area). The floor was a sea of boxes.

It just looked so wasteful they’d rip in like that, so presumptuous we’d not want any given to us (we normally eat a little of what we get ourselves, but not much) and just so expectant they could do it without even asking. I felt sick walking in and seeing such an expensive pile of chocolate just all opened and piled up carelessly- it was more that than either adult wanting any. It seemed so spoilt. No concept of any value or appreciation of it.

The kids are a range of primary ages from the oldest to the youngest spanning yr 1-6. I’m generally a bit irritated anyway with the older ones being messy and lazy and everything being a fight.

So- how would you react?
Say it’s Easter- enjoy and have fun
Or yes, that’s overly wasteful and spoilt behaviour.

OP posts:
GreenSlide · 05/04/2021 18:37

Primary school children go crazy on Easter Sunday with unlimited supply of chocolate and no parental supervision shocker Grin

EveWasReframed · 05/04/2021 18:38

@Ddot

Just take the extra ones off them and put away. U were greedy so you dont get
Yeah, coz it just happened
Devlesko · 05/04/2021 18:45

Best to store them on top of wall cupboards in the kitchen.
I suppose the Y6 might reach them.
Just leave it a couple of days before you give them anymore.
They don't go out of date for about a year anyway, surely they'll get through them, slowly if you don't leave them in temptations way.

I remember my dd getting some my Thorntons once. I can't stand them but they were a gift.
She'd emptied the box and half bitten ones were in the bin, as she'd tried them all and not liked them Grin

mellicauli · 05/04/2021 18:53

I'd say most people look back on their childhood and can remember committing at least one chocolate based crime.

It's Easter, OP: Nail em to the cross, then forgive them.

Middersweekly · 05/04/2021 19:07

No I probably wouldn’t have been happy about them taking the other chocolate from the other room. It sounds like they’re all old enough to have asked. I also wouldn’t have been happy about the mess and they would have been made to clean it/ hoover it up. It sounds like they were unwrapping and diving them to ensure equal fairness. This is pretty typical with siblings (well it is in my household anyway). It doesn’t excuse them taking what wasn’t theirs though.
We had this issue with way too many Easter eggs when we lived near family. Sometimes each of my DC would get 3/4 eggs each! It was over the top tbh. My eldest (now 17) actually vomited a couple of years in a row from scoffing too much chocolate! Just pure greed and over indulgence. Now they each get 1 egg and then I buy smaller eggs to do an Easter egg hunt later in the day.

Crystal90567 · 05/04/2021 19:12

The easter bunny leaves chocolate all over the place. They were probably delighted that there was more in the other room too.
Before you turned up that was!
Poor kids

Morgysmum · 05/04/2021 19:17

Nightmare, that's horrible.
But I think you should have supervised them.
My son got loads of chocolate, when he was young. But I only allowed him to eat one at a time.
People might think that is harsh, but he gets the runs, if he eats too much chocolate. So I eek the chocolate out. If he has ones with chocolate bars in, he gets one bar a day.
Luckily this year, family forgot about Easter and gave my son money instead.
He got a chocolate egg from us and his cousin. So has chocolate, but now he has money to spend. So he is happy. He is 14.

MimiPigeon · 05/04/2021 19:28

I don’t see how it’s wasteful? They hadn’t wasted any chocolate? Just piled it up, ate a bit and left the recycling on the floor. Which is what we usually do anyway to save space, we chuck out all the cardboard straight away.

Figgyboa · 05/04/2021 19:30

It's Easter, once a year, and it's been a tough year. Let them enjoy it and make sure next time the rest are out of sight

Beautiful3 · 05/04/2021 19:30

Children need guidance, otherwise they get over excited and open every box! I normally say, "choose one to open. When it's gone, then you can open another one." I tend to put the rest in the garage, until they want it again.

jwpetal · 05/04/2021 19:30

The children are old enough to know better and no you do not need to watch them. You have every right to have a shower and to have your own chocolate egg. I would talk to them about boundaries and that they took your egg also. As another poster said, re-establish boundaries. I would say start claiming more for yourself.

Roxy69 · 05/04/2021 19:34

I know where you are coming from but just use this as a learning curve. Next year, ask them to choose 3 each say, and then take them to the food bank with a bag full each and they will get to know the value of things. Plus ensure they know others are not so fortunate. Good for not allowing too much sugar.

EarringsandLipstick · 05/04/2021 19:50

@Oilpyi

I've just RTFT. I had to laugh at the posters who repeatedly:

  • thought the kids were aged 1 - 6
  • that you'd left all the eggs out & told the kids to enjoy 😂

I know this was from yesterday & that it's all resolved.

I just want to say:

  • I get you completely. I'd have been raging too. I chuckled a bit at the 11 yo! He sounds enterprising.
  • they sound like great kids, though. Mine can be really good & responsible - & they can do mental things like this that I'd find very disrespectful. It's definitely normal; doesn't mean you have to be happy with it
  • you sound great - love the way it was resolved & that everyone had a chat about it, and understood what happened.

I think that's a pretty good parenting moment for you. I hope you did get to indulge in some chocolate yourself!

EarringsandLipstick · 05/04/2021 19:50
  • from you (not for).
DonnaDonna01 · 05/04/2021 20:10

OMG what a thread, surely there is some middle ground here without a full scale argument over Easter eggs. Yes the op maybe should have given some thought to putting the eggs out of sight but children aged 6-11 know very well what was said to them. It was a pile pointed to on a chair, it’s irrelevant that the others were open they were in a separate room and weren’t mentioned. If you don’t resolve the small issues now it will grow into bigger issues as they grow up. Doesn’t matter if it’s Easter eggs or something else it’s about boundaries in my opinion.

JDMB147 · 05/04/2021 20:13

To be fair every Easter I melt down the chocolate and make rice crispie cakes etc. then nothing is really wasted.

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 05/04/2021 20:31

A lot worse was what I heard from a neighbour of a dd yesterday - she said the kids had been given so many Easter eggs, she was allowing them to keep a couple each - and was binning the rest! 😱

You’d think she might at least take them to a food bank - never mind Easter being done and gone, I’m sure there are plenty of kids who’d be very glad of them.

SleepingStandingUp · 05/04/2021 20:37

@GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER

A lot worse was what I heard from a neighbour of a dd yesterday - she said the kids had been given so many Easter eggs, she was allowing them to keep a couple each - and was binning the rest! 😱

You’d think she might at least take them to a food bank - never mind Easter being done and gone, I’m sure there are plenty of kids who’d be very glad of them.

That's abhorrent. If you're going to do that, once you've got enough, tell the next person giving you one no thanks, or put in the food bank or offer the neighbours!!
powershowerforanhour · 05/04/2021 20:38

I can imagine the whole scene and I definitely would have lost my composure. I think it's good that you were shocked and disappointed, as that means your children probably generally aren't let away with whatever they want. A PP said
"all it takes is for one child to say "LETS GET ALL THE EGGS AND MAKE IT EVEN BIGGER"
Yep, they lost the run of themselves, egged each other on and a feeding frenzy ensued.
Another poster said- "Nail 'em to the cross, then forgive 'em"...perfect. Quite sweet that they were divvying up equally though. I think I'd be standing over them while they worked together rewrapping anything salvageable, hoovering and sorting boxes for recycling and gathering the smashed chocolate for cooking with.
This is going to go down in family lore for them as "remember the time we opened all the eggs and mum was mad" but that's not a bad thing. It's kind if a bonding experience, I guess everyone has a shared "remember we all got in so much trouble for x" childhood memory.

powershowerforanhour · 05/04/2021 20:44

Sorry had failed to read your updates where the eldest instigated and directed proceedings. Yes I think the "you're old enough to know better" is in order, definitely backed up by your DH all the way.

ShaneTheThird · 05/04/2021 20:46

I assume the issue isnt that they found more eggs but that they removed all of them from their packaging being greedy and wasteful (wasteful because once out of its packaging it goes stale quickly). Heah i would be pissed off. I was always taught you open one thing at a time and finish it before opening another thing.

SprungisSpringYaY · 05/04/2021 20:50

Oh gosh poor children.. They are so young.. This is part of teaching.. They also have no idea of cost. It upsets me when people expect a five year old to understand cost and value..

You just say after.. When there is non left.. Next year eek it out. They are your dc, you told them to enjoy.. They also have no knowledge of choclate stains.
It's so unfair to put adult expectations on dc like this.
Open one etc.. Mine had four items to eat, they belong to them.. It's not up to me how or what bloody order..

SprungisSpringYaY · 05/04/2021 20:51

Oh gosh. How wouid a dc understand wasteful behaviour.
Op this really breaks my heart and the other comments..
You need to say before what you expect of them or give them one at a time if it's going to upset you or any poster this much..

Poor dc.

EarringsandLipstick · 05/04/2021 20:52

@SprungisSpringYaY

Oh gosh poor children.. They are so young.. This is part of teaching.. They also have no idea of cost. It upsets me when people expect a five year old to understand cost and value..

You just say after.. When there is non left.. Next year eek it out. They are your dc, you told them to enjoy.. They also have no knowledge of choclate stains.
It's so unfair to put adult expectations on dc like this.
Open one etc.. Mine had four items to eat, they belong to them.. It's not up to me how or what bloody order..

Were you not able to read the OP's posts?

Your reply doesn't make any sense, at all.

The OP allowed full access to a pile of eggs. She left, and the kids, led by the 11yo, took all the other eggs, belonging to their parents, and left in another room. The 11yo DS acknowledged this

OP was upset, but they all had a chat as a family & sorted it out, and all is well (since yesterday). So no 'poor kids' at all.

EarringsandLipstick · 05/04/2021 20:54

Op this really breaks my heart and the other comments..

Here's a little tip Sprung. Just use the function to 'read all OP's posts'. It'll save you some heartbreak.