Today D figured out that the Easter Bunny is not real. We were eating lunch and somehow the conversation turned to Easter and the attendant baskets and bunnies. As we talked, D suddenly asked the question I've been dreading for months: "Mom, is the Easter Bunny real?" I always said that when this question came, I would tell the truth. However, I sat there looking at that innocent little face and thought, "He's only five. If I tell him the truth now, it's over." So I answered, "What do you think?" I had a big, cheesy grin on my face. He said, "I think it's you and dad." What could I say to that? Even if I lied outright, my face would give it all away. I laughed and said lightheartedly, "Well, if you don't believe in him, he won't come." He looked at my big, cheesy grin and said, "I know it! It's you and dad!" Then came the rest. "There can't be a big, giant bunny walking all over the world giving kids candy all in one night." At this point, I was starting to sweat. I could handle the Easter Bunny conversation, but I was not ready to take on Santa, and I could see that being the logical outgrowth of our current chat. "Yeah," he continued, "There's no way one bunny could walk that far in one night." And then came the moment I could breathe a sigh of relief "But Santa can do it because he has a sleigh!" Yes! Crisis diverted! One more moment of truth avoided, at least for now.
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