One proud egg in the basket

J managed to collect one red egg in her basket during this morning's Easter Egghunt Contest. Not bad for a novice.

And I had a good laugh at the sight of her little brother running around like a lost little chicken, basket in hand, looking everywhere for an egg BUT in the bushes and shrubs!

He has not idea at all that the eggs are supposed to be hidden and he had to look close, between and behind every nook and corner for them. Instead, he looked left and right at the other kids, running AFTER them as if it'll lead him to the treasure, looking totally bewildered.

What a funny sight for his mum and dad. And what fun when he finally spotted one behind a rock. It was all that he needed to feel like he has finally triumphed!

Well, I am very proud of my kids when at the end of the allotted time, they came back carrying that one egg each in their basket. They wore a huge smile on their sweaty faces and although they knew very well that they were not going to win anything, they were happy to have taken part in the game.

And the reason why I am so proud is because they found the eggs all by themselves - unlike some "kiasu" moms who shamelessly lurked behind their kids and slipped in their finds into their kids' baskets.

The girl who got the most eggs in her basket is clearly a case in point. Half of the 8 eggs in her basket definitely came from her mom because I saw her slipping them in, and I'm sure many others did too. She looks to be about 11 years old and certainly could do the job well on her own. Maybe her mom is taking the game a bit too seriously (and competitively!).

But I guess in the spirit of Easter, nobody wanted to spoil the fun and when the girl was eventually announced the winner of the contest, nobody said anything negative. Besides, this sort of scenario isn't exactly unfamiliar to parents who have taken part in countless contests involving moms and kids. Personally, I'm kind of used to it.

And my kids are also used to it because I always make it a point to tell them not to mind too much because different people have different value systems. I take the opportunity to teach them to play by the rules out of respect for other people and themselves and most of all to have fun. Sometimes, winning is fun and losing isn't but they learn that they cannot win all the time. And that should not spoil the fun they had when playing the game, right? Of course, sometimes, the kids may not agree with me.

But today, they really did have great fun. They left the place with big smiles on their faces, a couple of eggs in hand and a balloon from Willy the Clown.

And they chatter excitingly about it in the car all the way home.

Happy Easter!