A picture's worth a 1000 words

As a parent, I have struggled many times to find the right words to answer the endless barrage of questions my kiddies ask. When they asked why the sky was blue, I struggled. When they asked why one had a penis and the other a vagina, I struggled. When they asked how the car worked, I struggled. I wanted to find the right words to help their budding brains understand the world around them. But alas, I wasn't the most accurate resource for them to look to. After all, being peppered with a million "why's" a day can lead to insanity. So in a moment of weakness (one of many, I confess) I told them the sky was blue because that was the only crayon left in the box; I told them I made one with a penis and one with a vagina so I could tell them apart and, like the clueless female I am, I told them to go ask their father how a car works.

Holidays are trickier. Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth fairy have all been a pain in my ass. As a Christian, I don't like the idea of feeding them fairy tales to explain the holidays. (And yes, losing a tooth around here is a considered a holiday.) But as a mom, and a girl who grew up with the jolly red fat man, the big bunny and the flying fairy, it was important for me not to deny my kids these experiences. Let them choose what they want to believe instead of forcing my opinions down their throats.

So I had to get creative. When they asked me if Santa was real, I avoided the question like the bubonic plague. I used diversion tactics. "Is Santa real? Let's see? Oh, look at these candy canes. Don't they look good. Would you like one?" And then I would stuff them full of sugar. You see, dear internet, everyone wins.

But they are aging now. And they are growing more clever. And I am getting more arthritic and creaky so it is hard to slip into their rooms in the dead of the night to pretend to be the tooth fairy. Last time I tried to put money under my son's pillow he woke up in a panic and thought I was trying to smother him. It was fairly traumatic for all parties involved.

But I believe I may have found the perfect solution to the Easter bunny dilemma. When they ask if the Easter bunny is real, and where did he come from, (because let's face it, we all know they are going to) I am just going to show them this picture. Because pictures don't lie. And neither does their mom.