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follow the child?s lead ??ere is no set age that
children
need to know the truth about the
easter
bunny
,? says jessica taylor, a licensed clinical social worker with family focus & associates in baton rouge. ??e key is to follow your child?s lead.? pay close attention to how your child is responding each
easter
. when they become disinterested or suspicious, those are cues that they might be ready. trust your instincts ?belief in things like the
easter
bunny
helps foster
children
?s imaginations which is an important part of intellectual development,? says taylor. when young
children
ask questions about the
easter
bunny
, if you suspect they?re not really ready to know the truth, trust your instincts. you can use their questions as an opportunity to encourage them to use their imaginations, and the way they respond may clue you in as to whether they want to keep believing or not. ?you can respond by asking your child, ?well, what do you think??? says taylor. ?and if he says that of course, the
easter
bunny
is real, then go with his answer.? childhood is the only time in life where magic seems real. don?t rush to end it until they are ready. breaking the news as a child gets older?typically by the end of elementary school?his questions about the
easter
bunny
and the way he responds to your questions may change, cluing you in to the fact that he has already figured it out. ?older
children
may respond to your question in a way that suggests they already know the truth,? says taylor. ?many times, they may be pretending to believe for mom or dad?s benefit. you can tell they?re ready to know the truth because they?ll ask more direct questions, more frequently.? taylor encourages, ?you?ll be able to tell when they?re mature and old enough to handle the truth.? keep it fun
easter
doesn?t have to stop being fun just because kids don?t believe in the
easter
bunny
anymore. ?ere are plenty of ways to make it fun for older kids who are in the know. reassure them that the family?s traditional celebrations, such as eas- ter baskets or egg hunts, will continue?and in fact, they can now be fun in new ways, too. ?for older siblings who now know the truth about the
easter
bunny
, you can keep the excitement of the
easter
bunny
alive by making them feel like they?re now in the secret club of adults who know,? says taylor. ?you can even include them on
easter
basket preparations for younger siblings, or hiding
easter
eggs for cousins or neighborhood kids?anything that would make them feel like they?re contributing to keeping the magic alive for younger
children
.? she also points out, ?if your family has religious roots, this is a great opportunity to remind
children
about the real reason we celebrate
easter
, shifting your main focus to the death and resurrection of jesus.? but above all, taylor advises, reassure them that the fun will continue. ?
easter
traditions will not come to an end just because the
easter
bunny
secret is out,? taylor says. ??e fun of the
easter
bunny
doesn?t ever have to go away, no matter how old your
children
are. as a grown adult with
children
of my own, my mom still loves preparing an
easter
basket for me, and i shamelessly admit that i love it too.?
easter
magic is what you make it. ? to tell or not to tell? here?s what our readers had to say about sharing the
easter
secret. 33% i will let my child find out on his own. 58% i will let him be- lieve until he asks me about it. 9% we do not have the
easter
bunny
visit our house.
easter
camps if you?re looking for a fun and exciting
easter
camp for your little bunnies this month, visit us online to check out the
easter
camp listing! brparents.com for
bunny
sightings , check out page 23 to see when and where the
easter
bunny
will be hopping into town. april 2017 | brparents.com 51
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