What Easter's All About

There are A LOT of topics that are not easy to explain to your kids - death, homelessness, natural disasters, war, etc. But, as parents, it's our duty to help our kids understand things that we may struggle to understand ourselves. With Easter approaching, I wanted to help Grace, my almost four year old, to understand what we're celebrating. I wanted her to know that it's not just about Easter egg hunts, coloring eggs, and a visit from the Easter Bunny. As I set out to teach her about the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus, I realized that explaining these events so that she could understand them would be a huge challenge.

I got a storybook that I thought would help, and it did, although I had to answer questions along the way about things she saw and heard in the story. Here are a few examples of our interactions the last few weeks:

• When looking at a picture of Jesus with a crown of thorns on his head, "Mommy, that looks like it hurts."


• When we read about Simon helping Jesus carry the cross, Grace responded, "Simon? Like the Chipmunk?"


• After finishing the story, as I was asking questions about what we celebrate on Easter to see if she understood, Grace answered, "Jesus died on the cross." I replied, "Very good. And what happened next?" Grace's answer: "He didn't have a shirt on, and I could see his nipples."

All in all, although she had some silly responses, I think she's starting to understand what Easter is all about. I will keep praying for the right words to explain what will happen in the days to come and why we sing ALLELUIA on Easter morning with such joy! Happy Easter from our family to yours!