Day 17 Slice of Life Story Challenge: Broken Easter Eggs

“Mama! Jackson broke three eggs! Three Easter eh-eh-ehggggsssss!”

Lily’s words melted into tears. “I tried to keep them away,” she sobbed. “I didn’t think he could reach them!” She cried and cried.

I looked at what was left of the three Easter eggs. A little pile of shells. Jackson had not only broken them, he had turned them into dust!

“I’m so sorry, Lily.” She climbed into my lap, and as I held Lily, flashes of parenting books and articles flashed through my mind. Don’t dismiss her feelings. Don’t say it’s no big deal. Acknowledge her feelings. I could sense that this was one of those moments. She could decide it was all Jacksons’s fault. She might think we don’t care that he breaks her things. She might decide to turn against him–or us.

“Which ones, honey?”

“The blue–ue-ue. And the pi-i-i-nk. And the sparkly one. They were all special to me!” she cried.

“I know. I remember making those eggs with you when you were littler than you are now. I love our Easter eggs because they remind me of all the Easters we’ve had. Remember when we made this one?”

I held up a blue egg with a gold glitter heart on it. I knew it was Lily’s most favorite of all.

“Yes,” Lily said, her tears slowing down.

“When we make eggs this year, we can make a new blue one, and a new pink one, and lots of sparkly ones. Then when we look at them next year, we’ll remember this year.”

Lily calmed down a bit.

“Do you remember that Mommy broke a few Easter eggs last year? They’re very delicate, aren’t they?” 

“No. I don’t remember.”

“Well, I did. And Daddy has broken a few too!”

Lily had stopped crying now.

“Mama, did I ever break an Easter egg?”

Yikes. Trick question! My whole goal was to help her feel a little better… I didn’t want her to feel badly that she had broken eggs too.

“Yep. When you were little like Jackson, you were an Easter egg crusher!”

Lily giggled. “Well… I guess Jackson is just like me then.”

“Yep, you two are twins. Just a few years apart.”