opinions and ideas

I have older children both boys that will be 16 & 11 in April. Neither believe in the Easter bunny obviously and we don't celebrate the day for any religious reasons. I feel like a horrible mother though because I have yet to get together Easter baskets for them this year. I don't want to spend the extra cash since it is merely the "commercialized" easter with oodles of candy and plastic eggs and extras that they don't need. Last year with baskets and candy for both boys I was out over $50!!! that is alot of freekin candy! I thought about just getting an egg made at the bakery but my younger son is very picking and will only eat plain Hersey Chocolate or maybe just getting a stuffed bunny but then think why their birthdays are just weeks away. Is there a cut off age that kids shouldn't really expect a basket and my children are just spoiled?? (they don't expect a basket but I think they would be disappointed if they didn't get anything) Tell me your thoughts

WOW!!! Since my son isn't quite 2, we have a little difference!!! Trying to think back about my friends kids, and when her daughter was 11 or 12, her son was in kindergarten. I had come over to her house & we had plastic easter eggs, we put little candies & change in them, and hid them ALL OVER her yard & her daughter got just as much of a kick out of it as her son did!!! I think the $$ was an incentive. We folded up 2 or 3 dollar bills and put them in the eggs also. The HILARIOUS part is that, they were still stumbling upon the eggs in JULY!!!! Just a funny story!!!! -Jamie

I have older ones too, my stepdaughters are 12 & 14. Once my syblings & I got to this age (my mom had remarried & there were 7 of us) my mom started buying us a small gift such as a new tshirt or small gift card and a small easter treat (my sister got a box of peeps, I got a box of robin eggs). I think that this is the year I may suggest doing this with my stepdaughters since they are getting older & we have one with some teeth issues and needs to stay away from the sugar.

I agree with the last poster. Just a small gift like t-shirt and card something like that. Just a "mommy loves you" Easter gift. Denise

My older 2 kids are 18 and 15 and for the last 3 or 4 yrs we've just gone to the store and boughten them something small and maybe a chocolate bunny. I decided i was spending way too much on candy that they don't need anyway. Now we're in a dilemna too..cuz we now have a 16 month old.....we decided not to do much candy for her either...she just doesn't need to get used to having all of that. We ended up buying her a big stuffed Elmo doll instead. She's not going to remember anyway right???

JoAnn When we started to get older, my mother would get us a small gift, but the age yours are, why not get them a little card and put 20.00 in it..That is what I would do. Jen

Great stories and ideas girls! I have never been an active member on OH I mostly just lurk on several boards but this is nice! I think I will do the card $ and small choc bunny thing just to keep the tradition going since they'll never be to old for that. I do soooo miss the egg hunts and hiding their baskets when they were little though