Sounds like a terrible segment on AFV doesn’t it!? I bring this up not
because I want to start a blog-war but because I want to hear your creative
ideas and some of the things that have worked for you as it relates to a child’s
fairy tale world and the real world where Jesus does exist and a belief in him
is not the same as Santa or the Easter Bunny.
I was confronted with this question recently by a pastor’s wife. How can
you expect your child to believe and rely on Jesus when the Easter Bunny turns
out to be a phony!?
I asked another friend of mine whose husband happens to be a preacher and
she referred me to Dr Dobson. I don’t know much about Dr. Dobson yet but I
intend to learn more.
Here is a link to the site with the information I took the caption below
from: http://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/holidays/celebrating_the_easter_season/finding_easter.aspx
Easter Bunnies (and Santa too) are perfectly fine for kids to believe as
long as you incorporate the 2. Here is a wonderful Easter example.
Teach them about Jesus by talking about what a real Easter Bunny is.
Use a
rabbit picture, a stuffed bunny or even a real one (if you are adventurous) to
teach some of the characteristics of Jesus that we should all try to have. By
adding a Bible verse to each quality, you will create a true Easter
Bunny.
Real Easter
bunnies:
- are white as snow because Jesus takes all sin away (Isaiah 1:18b).
- are gentle, kind-hearted and forgiving (Ephesians 4:32).
- have big ears that are quick to listen (James 1:19).
- have big eyes to look carefully and choose what is good (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
- have no voice for complaining or arguing (Philippians 2:13).
- are quiet in prayer, but hop with thanksgiving and rejoicing (Philippians 4:4-6).
- have big feet to go tell others about Jesus so they can be like Easter bunnies, too (Matthew 28: 19-20).
- eat what is healthy by filling up on God's word every day (Psalm 119:11).
Like what you see??? There’s more in the link above. I am curious about
your opinion on this matter. Please, if you will don’t use this as a forum to
put Dr. Dobson or anybody else in their place. We’re not rallying people into
one camp or another, we’re sharing ideas. I know I felt truly bad when I left
the conversation that started this blog and have given thought and energy to it
ever since. Do you have Easter traditions that incorporate the famous bunny and
Jesus? At what age did you start incorporating or have you always done so? If
you have other sources for such information please send them my way! Thank you
and happy (bunny) trails!!
I have been reading about different Easter Traditions to find what might work best for our family, We have a strong christian catholic faith and I want my children to understand fully what Easter Sunday is about. As a kid we always decorated eggs, received baskets, and had family festivities. With our kids. We still do that today, however now that I am older Im not sure how I feel about the easter bunny or santa claus. Last year we bought the resurrection eggs. My daughter who was 4 at the time fell in love with this. She had the story memorized (as much as a 4 year old could grasp) very quickly and couldnt wait to show others. This year we got them out again and she couldnt wait to use them. My 2 year old wants to go through the eggs at least 7 times a day telling the story. This year we added more details into the story for our 5 year old so she could learn more about it. I am planning to hide the resurrection eggs this year and we will tell the story after our hunt. I havent really made a big deal about the easter bunny coming and leaving baskets or hiding eggs, however I havent exactly denied it either. I really like what you listed about describing the bunny and using bible verses. I might do that this evening with the girls. Thank You!
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