By whatserbucket
I’m writing this tonight before all the doctrine of love and the talk of a risen Lord is on our minds and in our service. Because while that is lovely, my current easter hang up is the egg hunt. Ok fine it was cold so lets do it inside the church. Okie dokie. Last year I froze my tookis off so it was a welcome change.
Run down of the rules, ten egg limit, little kids go first. On your marks you drooling little ones who are about to explode, get set you toddling little basket-is-bigger-than-you-are cute little imps with mamas and cameras following you as you prepare to claim victory in the form of a little plastic egg, GO!
Those just learning to walk are carefully navigating the spaces while the more seasoned swayurs of wabbits and the wike are skillfully covering ground that may have been looked over by the more “green” of the company. Baskets fill, hiding places are found, it is time to view the spoils. Back to the cultural hall!
Starry eyed and proud to the gills the little hunters return victorious and begin to examine the loot. Laffy Taffy. Bit-O-Honey? Atomic Fireballs?!!? Well wait open these, too. Those too? Really that’s all? In all of them? Seriously?????
The average age of the kids present was three. They couldn’t open the wrappers by themselves and when one rogue toddler dared to rip the icy celophane from the cheery red gumball imposter he got a mouthful of “oh no noo oh n….. maaaaaaaaaaamaaaaaaa! It hurts !!!!!!!(red slimy spit spilling all over while he tries to rid himself of if) Poor kiddo.
So anyway, way to go on the candy choice, activities folks. Wouldn’t want your job, but am nonetheless questioning judgement on that one. No chocolate? Nothing soft? No candy a little kid with say three teeth could handle? Perhaps something not famous for burning the tender mouths of children or removing teeth before their time?
Now excuse me, I need to go IRON some clothes so my family looks like I “know” something as we sit in church hoping that my outright flumberment (not a word? should be!) over the egg hunt candy choice doesn’t spill over into the more pressing messages of the day. Deeep breath. I can do this. I can stay on target. I can do it. See look:
He is Risen. The candy doesn’t really Matter.




You handled it better than I probably would have! Happy Easter…
Comment #1 by Tracy MMarch 22nd, 2008 at 9:20 pmWow, fireballs? That would make me feel mad too. I’m already feeling a little stressed because I know my kids are going to come out of primary loaded with candy and stuff and I wish I could just say “quit feeding my kids treats at church!”. Sigh.
We live in university housing and they had an awesome egg hunt idea today. They had empty eggs and then everyone came back and dumped their eggs in a big box in exchange for a goodie bag with candy and a little stuffed toy. It was perfect. No fighting over who got more egss (most of the kids were little enough not to care), I don’t have to deal with empty eggs in my house, and my kids ate up all the candy in their goodie bags right away. But it was chocolate. Not fire balls–that is just so, so wrong!
Comment #2 by FoxyJMarch 22nd, 2008 at 9:21 pmFoxy J,
Comment #3 by WoogieMarch 22nd, 2008 at 9:33 pmOur ward has a very strict “no treats in Primary” rule. I’m in the Presidency and we send out an e-mail ONCE A WEEK! and the teachers still give out treats. The bishop has even sent out a notice and still nothing. =-(
That is wrong on so many levels. Can anyone say, ‘Ward Council?’ This should definitely be brought up.
Comment #4 by JennaMarch 22nd, 2008 at 10:14 pmWhen I saw the title of the post, I thought that someone had set fire to their kitchen playing with powdered milk. (I had a fire extinguisher and I didn’t even need it! What can I say–you guys inspire me.)
So about the egg hunt: Have they never heard of jelly beans? Cheap, Easter-themed, relatively non-staining. No pain, screaming, or dental work involved.
I still remember having someone slip my three-year old a nice round piece of hard candy. Nothing quite as fun as performing a heimlich right in the middle of sacrament meeting. Arg! People can be such idiots.
Comment #5 by JamiMarch 22nd, 2008 at 10:30 pmWow, that is just stupid. And I’ve been the activites committee chairperson, and understand how much goes into things, but there is just no excuse for that. Anything- ANYthing, would have been better than those. Poor little kids.
Comment #6 by SheyenneMarch 22nd, 2008 at 10:41 pmSounds like someone was trying to save a few bucks and use the left over Halloween candy from the back of the activities closet. Dumb!
Comment #7 by AubreyMarch 22nd, 2008 at 10:50 pmWoogie–
I was a primary president for a few years and I was constantly trying to inforce the policy too. It’s so annoying. I love to cook and I understand the impulse to make treats for kids, but I really wish people wouldn’t do it on Sunday at church. My kids get enough treats as it is.
Comment #8 by FoxyJMarch 22nd, 2008 at 11:45 pmWow. Just wow.
Comment #9 by Heather O.March 23rd, 2008 at 5:19 amOh.My.Gosh…wow, at least ours had chocolate in them.
Comment #10 by Jamie JMarch 23rd, 2008 at 7:45 amFor the record, as a former Primary teacher, if you told me I absolutely could not bring treats for the kids, I’d say “Have fun teaching them yourself then.” The system of earning rewards I had set up was the only thing that even started to keep those kids in line.
(I did keep parents in mind too though and limited everyone to one of whatever treat it was.)
Comment #11 by Proud Daughter of EveMarch 23rd, 2008 at 12:48 pmI would take you up on that challenge, I guess.
I once spent the better part of a year un-teaching my CTR-8s to not expect candy or treats from me. They eventually quit asking, and they indeed started behaving (it was a class of 13 lively children), and we learned a lot together.
Then they became Valiant-9s, and the first Sunday, the teacher gave them all candy bars.
Grrr. (I cannot express the extent my annoyance at people who think children need candy to behave.) They’re Valiant-10s now, and they know they’ll get the candy whether they behave or not. (Ask my daughter, who came home with a 3 Musketeers, which was supposedly a reward for memorizing a scripture, which she deliberately didn’t memorize, but the teacher didn’t want to leave anyone out.)
Comment #12 by CoffinberyMarch 23rd, 2008 at 1:09 pmMy husband would be all over the fireballs. he loves them. Me? Not so much. The kids? Hate ‘em! I can’t believe that they would do that! YUCK!
Comment #13 by HRHMarch 23rd, 2008 at 1:39 pmI deliberately only gave my kids a handful of sweets today knowing that they would get loaded down with sugar. And I was right. It’s almost all gone now & it’s only been an hour! YES!
Weird.
I told my kids that they could feel free to turn down any candy they were offered today. None of them took me up on the suggestion.
Comment #14 by ResearcherMarch 23rd, 2008 at 2:03 pmWhat is it with Americans and candy in Primary??? We have been in church in 3 different countries, and the only time my kids got candy regularly in Primary was when the teachers and Primary presidency were American (when we lived in China and the branch was mostly ex-pat Americans). Other places it has been an “exception rather than the rule” treat. Surely the only food in Primary should be in Nursery?
Comment #15 by namakemonoMarch 23rd, 2008 at 4:16 pmOk. I have to admit, that was funny and sad. Yes, it sounds like someone was cleaning out the closets and thought, candy…hmmmm…egg hunt, yes! I agree about treats, but also admit to doing it..so I am a hypocrite. We started off our Holy Day with screaming at the kids to stop eating candy and get dressed for 9 AM church. Can chocolate eggs count as breakfast? Then we were 5 minutes late, but I felt better because we had not missed the sacrament. It took me to the first speaker to finally calm down enough to hear the message. I will try to apply it later.
Comment #16 by KatieMarch 23rd, 2008 at 4:34 pmOkay, that choice was obviously made by someone who is very far away from the world of toddlers and small children. I can see my mother (72 years old and activity director in her ward) doing something similar. She is famous for sending my children toys that would be super fun if only she had bought the $50 mega set needed to make the toy fun. She is easily confused by today’s labels.
Treats in primary bother people? Our RS lessons are generally accompanied by some sort of treat (brownie bites today) and I love it. And I, like my kids, get plenty of treats in a week. If it’s really a problem, why not address it with the teacher directly? Or ask the teachers to not let the kids open the treats until mom and dad say so. They can wait till after dinner or something. Can someone explain why it’s so problematic?
Comment #17 by solMarch 23rd, 2008 at 5:08 pmNo candy in our primary today. They went all out on the Easter Hunt yesterday, though (with soft mini-Milky War bars in the eggs–yummy!)so maybe they were all just pooped out.
I actually don’t have a problem with candy in Primary, really, as long as it is not every week. Tales discussed this a while ago. The 3 hour block is so developmentally inappropriate for our little kiddos, and expecting perfect reverent behavior from little ones for 3 hours seems a little ambitious. I’m actually fine with a teacher tossing my kid some sugar now and then. I think if candy isn’t a part of your food at home, it’s fine if kids get it as a treat other places.
Comment #18 by Heather O.March 23rd, 2008 at 5:41 pmWhen did this post turn into a yes candy/no candy in Primary debate? It’s been done to death, and I like to lump this type of debate with Breast/Bottle debates. Because nobody agrees. Or wins. Or wants to, really. Agree, I mean, not win.
Anywho!
I’d rather discuss how if we’re going to give our children candy, it should be of high caliber. Like Ghiradelli’s (I slaughtered the spelling on that one!) dark chocolate caramel. Ooh! That’s one mess I wouldn’t mind cleaning up because I’d be licking the stuff of of their grimy little fingers… yummmmmm…..
Comment #19 by cherylMarch 23rd, 2008 at 7:09 pmI have one kid in my primary. She showed up today in her pretty new dress and told me she got candy, but wasn’t allowed to eat it. Imagine that!! Just like when my mom refused to buy potato chips and fun stuff like grapes because “when I buy that kind of stuff you kids just eat it!!”
Am I mean because I don’t see what an Easter Egg hunt has to do with church? I mean, really! I hosted a “trunk or treat” one year b/c Halloween was going to be on a Sunday and I thought it would give the kids an alternative to trick or treat on the Sabbath. I NEVER would have done it if I had known it would become an annual tradition. Are Primary activities suppsed to be focus on some sort spiritual growth?? I am going to have to look that up.
Comment #20 by LisaCMarch 23rd, 2008 at 7:37 pmTo be fair, the egg hunt wasn’t during primary. It was during the Saturday Ward Easter Breakfast. My main beef was the KIND of candy, not in determining if the activity should continue in the coming years. I think the church is as good a place as any to have a hunt, its familiar ground and presumed safe, so why not? It was fun. It was just a crappy choice of sweets for our crowd, in my opinion.
Comment #21 by whatserbucketMarch 23rd, 2008 at 8:01 pmI know where they got the eggs. I too was taken by suprise when I opened the bag that I bought and that’s what was in there. It was from Costco. Friay they had the bags for $6 for 48 candy filled eggs so I jumped on it. Then filling the baskets Sat. night and setting aside 24 for our family hunt I noticed what was in there. My oldest(16 today) said as he looked at me “the Easter Bunny brought lame candy this year!”. I did include some dove eggs though and some Reeses Pt. Butter eggs. So not all was lost.
Comment #22 by ValerieMarch 23rd, 2008 at 8:43 pmWe opt out the easter bunny coming to our house. Our kids don’t get easter baskets either. I know–”how lame!”
They are young yet, though. It might change once they are in school and feeling left out when they talk to their friends. We’re figuring this stuff out as we go along.
Instead, my kids do the easter egg hunt (usually the friday before easter) as a playgroup, but it is not the primary that is in charge. (no one is really in charge–a person from the RS presidnecy sort of plans where it will be, but that’s about all it takes to have a successful one. Everyone brings one dozen eggs per kid that they bring, and the limit for them to find is 12 eggs. It’s more of a candy exchange. It’s way fun. Sorry your kids got fireballs. That stinks.
Bet they won’t make that mistake again.
Comment #23 by mellocelloMarch 23rd, 2008 at 9:07 pmWhen did an Easter EGG hunt turn into a candy hunt anyway? What happened to good ol’ eggs? My kids get enough candy all year around.
Comment #24 by Mother of the Wild BoysMarch 23rd, 2008 at 11:03 pmDH was lamenting that all of our favorite holidays from our childhood are being ruined…”Trunk or Treat?,” he says, “Where’s the fun in that?”
Thank goodness I have never had the misfortune to do a trunk-or-treat. How boring!
As far as your Easter candy, all I can say is the person who bought it should be scolded! Imagine! Definitely age-inappropriate. FIREBALLS???
I’ve trained my kids pretty well. Whenever they get candy from church or anywhere, they basically have to hand it over to me and then I dole it out at another time (or they forget about it entirely). At the very least, they ask before they can eat it.
This can backfire though. I went into my 7-year-old son’s room the other night at 10:00PM and found him hiding under the covers with a flashlight eating nerds!
Comment #25 by meemsMarch 24th, 2008 at 4:16 amFireballs? That’s not only age inappropriate, but I find that to be a candy that not many people like regardless of their age. Fireballs are like cilantro and curry of the candy world–very polarizing foods, you either love ‘em or hate ‘em. (For the record, I love both). While I agree with your frustration I would also caution you to be careful in voicing this frustration too loudly, otherwise I can guarantee you’ll be in charge next year.
Comment #26 by miggyMarch 24th, 2008 at 8:10 amI wish we got treats in Relief Society. That would help me not want to duck out and go on a Pepsi run.
Comment #27 by LindsayMarch 24th, 2008 at 9:01 amYes, RS treats are the bomb. The best are when the bishop’s wife teaches. Lindor balls, Dove chocolates, Ghiradelli squares. Yum!
I sure don’t want a debate. I was just wondering why it’s bothersome to those that find it bothersome. I don’t want to change anyone’s mind. I already know the true principle of sugar and I figure others will be enlightened in their own time.
I feel really bad for whoever bought the egg hunt candy. Doesn’t it make sense it was an honest mistake? Miserable for the kids (and parents), yes, but scolding the person? Scolding is for people who know better. I don’t think anyone intentionally set out to simultaneously scald mouths while ripping out teeth. Unless it’s a sugar nazi trying to teach the kids a lesson. Hmm…..
Comment #28 by solMarch 24th, 2008 at 11:03 ami just want to say I am the opposite of Cheryl, I do not like to give my kids high calibur candy, I feel they dont appreciate the good taste. They shovel it in, it smears on their shirts and faces. total waste. I am a mean mom. I give them the crappy palmers chocolate on clearance, and eat the good stuff in the laundry room.
I too would have been very irritated at the bit o honey and fireballs. mistake or not, but I wouldnt say anything as I am very passive agressive.
Comment #29 by beccaMarch 24th, 2008 at 11:41 ambecca-
Comment #30 by cherylMarch 24th, 2008 at 12:01 pmI’m just training them up right while they’re young…
Passive aggressive, eh? So you would maybe soak fireballs in the sacrament water in hopes it would get to the goober that bought the candy? Or feed it to their pets?
Don’t try this at home.
But really, we could think up really sinister ways to return to favor. Anyone wanna play?
Comment #31 by solMarch 24th, 2008 at 12:02 pmI’m with becca. We don’t waste good anything on the kids. They get the cheapest ice cream, chocolate, candy, you name it. they don’t know the difference so the good stuff is totally wasted on them.
Comment #32 by Al-anonMarch 24th, 2008 at 12:20 pmAnd I would also be annoyed but I wouldn’t say anything either.
I’ve never been to a ward that did easter egg hunts, very interesting. I know we did one at our local supermarket and I was a bit annoyed at the jawbreakers they were giving out in the eggs. Only because there huge choking hazards, I didn’t mind the rest of the candy.
I don’t care if they get it at church per say (it doesn’t seem to be on a reg basis) but the valiant boys got huge cinnamon buns the size of there head, now that was a little much.
Everything in moderation
When we were growing up (my sisters’ and I) we got a little candy but the big thing that we got was a sugar cereal we wanted. That was the big treat.
Comment #33 by SarahMarch 24th, 2008 at 12:22 pmFor our primary Easter egg hunt, my son got big gum-balls. He’s two! He won’t be eating those. Granted, it was for the whole primary, but still!
Comment #34 by Richelle FMarch 24th, 2008 at 2:18 pmGood candy isn’t wasted on my children. Good Thai food? For sure! But good candy!? Are you kidding me?!
My children totally know the difference between ice milk and Haagen Daaz, between waxy chocolate and melt-in-your-mouth dark chocolate. Do they care? Not really. Will they eat anything? Absolutely! But they certainly know the good from the bad.
Just because they choose to eat it all doesn’t mean I shouldn’t give them the good stuff. They’ll have enough therapy because of their mother (me) in the future, so I hope to lower the bills they’ll have to pay:
“Man, my mom yelled a lot, but when it came to chocolate, she sure was poetic! Thanks, mom!”
Just tryin’ to make this world a little bit better, you know, I do all that I can…
Comment #35 by cherylMarch 24th, 2008 at 3:21 pmI hate to admit it, but my kids totally know the difference between good chocolate and the crap. They’ve even turned their little noses up at the yucky stuff and told me it tastes bad.
What can I say? I fear I’ve passed my Foodie-ness onto my offspring!
Comment #36 by Tracy MMarch 24th, 2008 at 3:42 pmWe always had our eggs divided into age groups. Fruit snacks and goldfish for the little ones, smarties and taffy for the middle sized kids, etc. Three different searches too. The little kids get a hallway we just rolled a bunch of eggs down, middle size kids got rooms with eggs stashed and the big kids/teenagers had to search around outside. We loved hiding them from the teenagers!
Comment #37 by mo mommyMarch 24th, 2008 at 6:29 pmWe pretty much skip Easter candy altogether. If it weren’t for Tracy M my kids wouldn’t have been looking for anything other than some clean socks to wear to church!
I for one love trunk or treats. I come from a cold place and have no desire to drag my kids around in the freezing weather until they decide they’ve had enough fun. When we get to the end of the parking lot it’s time to go home! Everyone in our ward has always had a blast decorating their cars though. Fog machines, spooky CD’s, spider webs…*sigh* I love me some Halloween.
I bribe my primary kids with Stickers… of course they are only 5 and 6 yrs old so that works well and they have to earn them throughout the class time by good behavior or really good answers etc. Each of my kids also has a “job” to do for class (erasing the chalkboard and fulling out the roll etc…)
As far as the candy issue. yeah every week is too much, but some groups do need motivation every ONCE IN A WHILE to behave.
As far as Trunk or Treats I’m with mo mommy on that. being from Idaho it’s REALLY cold for little kids on Halloween (usually get our first snow that stays that day) and trunk or treats are a godsend. otherwise my kids would end up with 5 pieces of candy because any more isn’t worth braving frostbite for
PS i like the idea of separate searches for different ages with different loot involved.
Comment #38 by AprilMarch 25th, 2008 at 10:32 pmGREAT idea!!
PPS last year for the trunk or treat i did my trunk as a big monster mouth. my DH pretended to hold it open for the kids and every once in a while would act as though he was loosing the fight. The kids loved it.
Sorry had to brag!
Comment #39 by AprilMarch 25th, 2008 at 10:34 pmSorry, but my kids would have been in heaven if they’d found fireballs in their eggs. Though I did raise them on red hots and hot tamales. They also love their chocolate and pretty much anything with sugar in it.
Comment #40 by moddyMarch 26th, 2008 at 6:10 pmOK - not the best plan for Easter Egg filler! lol…
I love Foxy’s compex’s idea. I’ll be stealing that bad boy.
I learned a long time ago to just be grateful people will serve. I tell my kids to not eat the treats they get in Primary until they see me. Problem solved - no hurt feelings - no kids on a sugar rush. I’m grateful for teachers who care - sometimes they don’t care the way I wish they would, but it’s still nice. They mean well.
At least you now have a good story to tell about the worst Easter Egg hunt, ever! ha ha - oh man! For many reasons like that one, I now rarely attend Ward parties -they usually suck out the wazoo and I am too tempted to complain at the event and hurt someone’s feelings. We stay home 9 times outta 10.
Comment #41 by mamaMarch 29th, 2008 at 2:35 pmI know this is late, but I just gotta say how RELIEVED I was to read the comment about the Costco prestuffed eggs. It totally solves the mystery about who in their right mind would put hot choking hazards into eggs that 3-year-olds would find. But now it all makes sense.
Our primary has 120 kids, so 10 each would have been 1200 eggs, but even a small primary of about 30 kids would have been 300 eggs. I can’t imagine anyone lovingly stuffing even 300 eggs with Dove chocolates the night before they were also putting on a ward breakfast. But I can totally see someone going to Costco and picking out the cheapest option and calling it good. Problem solved, or so they think, until kids are spitting out candy all over the church and everyone is talking about the worst Easter egg hunt ever. I guess next year they will think twice and ask for a bigger budget for Easter chocolates and stay up all night lovingly stuffing those 300 eggs.
Comment #42 by AWFMarch 29th, 2008 at 4:23 pmMamma, I agree with you about people who serve. We have the most candy saturated primary I have ever known. We have had teacher improvements about nothing but stopping candy use and it still goes on. BUT, besides the candy we have the most dedicated and caring primary teachers I’ve ever known too. My children all have their very own set of scriptures and a scripture bag because of these teachers. None of them is ever gone without getting a substitute. My children LOVE their teachers. So, like you, we just tell them that they are not allowed to eat candy in church. They wait, bring it home, and after lunch they share it evenly among themselves (after I’ve given the ok).
Comment #43 by LizzyMarch 29th, 2008 at 6:03 pm