Saturday, April 7, 2007

This Egg IS For You

Found on Flickr

You are familiar with Easter Egg hunts, right? How many of you have or do color hard boiled eggs with your children or grandchildren? Show of hands please. Ah ha! Just as I thought. You all are familiar with the ritual and I will tell you that the lesson you should learn about egg coloring with small children is usually learned in hindsight.

For instance, coloring eggs with my children when they were between the ages of 6 to 9 was not a favorite thing to do. The preferred solution for me would have been to buy plastic eggs and fill them with candy but that was more expensive. Also, what 4, 5, or 6 year old wants to eat hard boiled eggs? They will sit in your refrigerator evocative from last months Easter egg hunt, complete with twigs leaves and all and rot before you get a chance to use them in your lunches.

In reality, coloring eggs is not about coloring eggs at all. It is about family relationships. It is about that rare moment when your five or six year old looks up at you and says “Mommy (or Daddy), I’m going to color this egg for you”.

I was reminded of this special tradition today as my granddaughters, four and six, colored hard boiled eggs with me. I didn’t want to make a mess and I didn’t want to get out six cups filled with water while my little ones dipped eggs with the little wire holder that is sized for miniature chicken eggs. Ha! I didn’t want to watch them spill the colored water all over as they spooned the color over the egg. Right at that moment, my six year old granddaughter looked up at me and said, “Grandma, I’m making this egg for you.”