Egg Hunt – Hump Day Haiku

Egg Hunt

Basket in hand and
a smile on his small face.
Colorful eggs found!

My son, now two and a half, is old enough to understand some of the finer points of the hiding and finding Easter eggs. Not all of the rules but some of them. He gets that he needs to find the eggs and put them in the basket. But once they’re all found, he wants to take a turn and have the adults find them. These are some of the results.

Eggs all hidden in a row in plain sight.

Or in a pile under a cushion on the couch or a chair (sorry, it all happens too fast for pictures to be taken. Maybe tomorrow.). And my personal favorite. He has me turn my back so I can’t see where he hides them, only to show me exactly where he’s hidden them right after they’re hidden. I’m using ‘hide’ loosely here. Usually, they’re right out in the open, and he points to them, proudly announcing their location, you know, so I don’t miss any. He’s very thoughtful.

I must admit to feeling underprepared for this whole parenting thing. I never occurred to me how high maintenance the toddler years could be. I used to nanny in my late teens into my early twenties, but that child was of a mild disposition. He loved to sit and be read to, or to play quietly with his toys. This does not describe my son.

Odin was learning to crawl at four months and had it down by six. He was pulling himself to the standing position by seven months, and cruising by eight. By nine months, he was walking for short distances, and by ten months he had his land legs sturdily beneath him. To say he’s active is putting it mildly. To top it off, he has a speech delay which leads to some frustration on his part. Luckily, he knows about 100 signs in ASL, so that keeps us all sane. Yet, for all his activity, he can focus for long periods of time when the mood strikes him. The rest of the time, keeping him busy and out of trouble is a full-time job. A job that leaves me with a very short temper.

It is for this reason, I am more than happy to find eggs all day it if brings him joy. To not have to tell him no constantly because his curiosity gets the best of him is a treat beyond imagining. I have a feeling it’s gonna be Easter over this way for many weeks to come.

A side note. My husband asked what I was writing about. I told him I was composing a haiku about Easter egg hunts. He said we wanted to try a couple. Here’s what he came up with:

magenta zig zags
peeking up out of the grass
He spotted an egg!

the last easter egg
a deep sense of victory
Only eight months late

I think he may have won this round.