Presents at Easter

[ShutDown40]

I've seen quite a few parents post images on social media of their Easter treats but they seem to be getting more and more extravagant!?

One person I saw has a toddler who had all of their gifts lined up on the sofa (god knows why 🙄) it included multiple chocolate eggs and bunnies, books, comics, hot wheels cars etc.

Am I miserable or is this OTT? And is it not just ridiculous to bunch all of the gifts together and take a photo for social media?

It's been a shit year and people want to treat their kids but I personally wouldn't do that for my children, I hope they don't expect it when their old enough either!

Better to give a little bit of chocolate and small gifts than a mountain of chocolate. Obesity crisis and all that...

I gave my DC a few gifts. I'd rather they had a toy/ book than lots of chocolates. They've had a difficult year and I wanted to treat them. I can't see why this should bother anyone else. I agree that posting it on social media is completely unnecessary.

You do what you want with your children and let others do what they want with theirs.

I got DS a lot this easter and I could not care less who thinks it's OTT. Children have had a bloody miserable year.

@emilyfrost yet to be born, hopefully I don't succumb to the pressure of having to deliver gifts and cash from the Easter bunny. Mind you by the time my LO is old enough the tooth fairy will probably be dishing out £20 notes.

I always had an Easter present from my parents, instead of an egg. Nothing huge- a video to share with my brother, something like that.

DS had an egg, a (second hand) car transporter and a book from us.

I got my 18mo an easter crate filled with books (about the Easter story and fun ones), some small chocolate bunnies/eggs and a pull along rabbit toy and some chick decorations/feathers etc. Also has an Easter bunny decoration and some 'easter signs/wreaths around it. Way ott by your standards im sure, but i will re-use the decorations and crate for years. Normally would do church and family egg hunt etc so wanted to make up for it. Was my first real easter with DD as last year she was like 6 mo old and only sitting up unaided etc so pretty boring lol. Despite being from a religious family growing up, Easter was always a bit meh. The church group we attended tended to downplays easter quite a bit as many in it felt the death burial resurrection should be remembered every Sunday (with communion). Anyway, I digress. So Easter for me was picking an Easter egg and my parents relunctantly letting me eat some of it for breakfast. The odd egg hunt if cousins were in town and weather was ok. So i enjoyed making a big deal of it. Took photo's for social media too 😂 But only to stop people phoning to ask what we got up to on Easter as I'm an anti-social sod and its the path of least resistance

This is new to me, haven't seen any photos of Easter gifts on my social media either! I'm not really a fan of this catching on tbh.

Our kids all got multiple eggs, egg hunt here, egg hunt in grandparents garden, money from grandparents and clothes/toys from us. It has always been this way and it’s DS’s 19th Easter. The only picture on social media was one of them smiling in the garden.

[quote ShutDown40]@emilyfrost yet to be born, hopefully I don't succumb to the pressure of having to deliver gifts and cash from the Easter bunny. Mind you by the time my LO is old enough the tooth fairy will probably be dishing out £20 notes.[/quote]
Right, so you’re not going to be bothered putting any effort in whatsoever, time or financial cost wise.

I'm not from the UK and where I'm from, we do give each other presents for Easter (not over the top) but small presents and a few, books, he got a tonie and a car as well. My mother sent over £50 for him but these weren't portrayed on social media. I shared a picture on the Easter egg hunt.

I don't actually like the tradition to give each other loads of huge chocolate eggs. It's unhealthy lol and I try to minimise eating chocolate in our house haha

My SIL got her DC a brand bike new from the Easter Bunny, I've had to tell my youngest now that the easter bunny is not real.
She's 9 so she really was doubting anyway.
But I feel for the kids in DN class when they go back and they are telling each other what eggs they got, and she comes out with a bike!

But I feel for the kids in DN class when they go back and they are telling each other what eggs they got, and she comes out with a bike

Why? Lots of children have presents throughout the year and spring is the perfect time for a new bike. Should those that want to never buy their children anything because others don’t? Not everyone subscribes to the one gift and a tangerine at Christmas.

To say its from the Easter Bunny though, to say we your parents have bought you a new bike fine at anytime of the year. To specifically say the easter bunny brought it when some kids barely get a chocolate egg is a bit rubbish in my book.

We do an egg hunt 20 of those plastic eggs hidden around the garden + 1 larger egg each - all with a chocolate or jelly beans inside. I've sometime included a spring craft item or stuffed bunny but that's it - I like it to be quite different from Christmas or birthdays. That's me though, horses for courses and all that

@Gingersay

To say its from the Easter Bunny though, to say we your parents have bought you a new bike fine at anytime of the year. To specifically say the easter bunny brought it when some kids barely get a chocolate egg is a bit rubbish in my book.

You could say the same about Christmas. Lots claim gifts are from Santa not them.

Not to mention it’s surely only small children who believe in the Easter bunny not those old enough to be discussing purchases.

People should feel free to buy their own kids whatever they want. However, I find it super cringey when it’s posted on Facebook. I don’t know what they want others to say? ‘Well done’ for clicking ‘buy now’ on Amazon? It’s the adult version of a toddler standing pointing at a poo in their potty and wanting their parents to clap.

Right, so you’re not going to be bothered putting any effort in whatsoever, time or financial cost wise.

@emilyfrost I didn't say that though? I'm not sure how you came to that conclusion. I'm genuinely surprised at how much children get, that does not equate to 'I will not give my children anything', does it?

As a parent to be I really am surprised at how many of my friends and work colleagues with older children feel pressure to deliver more and more. One of them had an eleven year old who was the only one of her friends who didn't have an iPhone. Kids get a lot more these days, it is up to the individual parent wether to share it on Facebook or not but lining up the Easter presents on the sofa to take a photo is a bit odd. IMO.

Maybe I had a deprived childhood and I have low expectations of what my children should want/expect..

not but lining up the Easter presents on the sofa to take a photo is a bit odd. IMO

Lots of pictures on social media could be described as that. Grown adults taking pictures of food, drinks glasses etc. SM is easy enough to avoid though.

@IceCreamAndCandyfloss I agree, i did say that was my opinion though and I get that other people may not share that. I do find social media very self indulgent 'look at me and what I have'. I think people have probably become very used to others sharing every part of their lives on SM though, I don't personally.

I think the main issue isn't gifts in general its the step up that some people have gone to this year. I group Easter with the likes of Halloween, Valentines Day or as a reward for an achievement when it comes to gifts - something small as a treat - which are totally different levels of gifting to Christmas or birthdays where it is expected to get bigger, more expensive and a larger quantity of gifts.

My DD has always got a lot of eggs from family for Easter (we are a big family so all the kids definitely get spoiled by the adults) and so ExDH and I would usually buy her small gifts instead - when she was little it would be something like a bunny soft toy, bubbles and a book or Easter craft and now as a pre teen she got a book and a few little accessories she wanted - but they are always small things and I rarely spend more than £20. Pretty much everything is stuff I would buy for her anyway as an occasional treat and Easter provides a good reason to treat her. This is generally the level of "Easter gifting" I have seen from others on social media in previous years.

This year on my social media there are some people who seem to have taken it to the level of Christmas/birthday gifting - bikes, expensive clothing, video games etc and one friend posted a picture of her DS with a new Nintendo Switch and multiple games which will have cost the better part of £300 as well as the mountain of chocolate eggs which is just excessive and unnecessary. What is she going to have the Easter Bunny going to bring next year?

I will never understand why some people are so judgemental about what other people do for their kids and post on their own social media.

@LagunaBubbles you won't understand a few of the threads here then, currently one active about people buying take away roast dinners and buying teenagers brand new cars..

@Gingersay

My SIL got her DC a brand bike new from the Easter Bunny, I've had to tell my youngest now that the easter bunny is not real. She's 9 so she really was doubting anyway. But I feel for the kids in DN class when they go back and they are telling each other what eggs they got, and she comes out with a bike!

Indeed, it's pathetic PFB territory

My kids get a smallish (£5-10) toy from the Easter bunny, but they also get about 1/4 of the amount of chocolate I got as a child. I think people are generally more aware of the teeth/ health risk of to much sugar then they were 30 years ago, as well as the effects linking sweet with reward/treat can have an future eating habits. So it seems sensible that people would move to put more emphasis on non food 'treats', with a fewer eggs.

I don't really agree with putting it on social media though, and wouldn't put Christmas or birthday gifts up either. You don't know who might be struggling financially, and doesn't need the added pressure to keep up, or reminder of what they can't give their kids.