Sorry, son, the Easter Bunny is not coming to your Dad’s house this year.

Should a parent protect their children from the other parent’s mistakes and faults, or should they let them see as soon as possible exactly who they are dealing with?

It takes a while for a kid to recognize their parents’ faults for what they are. It usually happens after they are old enough to view different households and see that the way that they do things is different from the way others do. Even then, it’s a long way from there to understanding that the reason why home life is so different from theirs is that their parents are not doing a good job at parenting.

Since many, if not most, children these days grow up in two different households, they also have to deal with their parents’ differences in parenting and the gaps between one parent and another. Which is exactly the case in the story below for the 6-year-old son whose dad can’t afford to buy him an Easter basket.

The dad decided to call Mom and let her know that she will have to come and pick up their son early for the weekend because he can’t buy him an Easter basket, and he doesn’t want him to feel left out among the other kids in the house (his roommate’s kids). The only other option Mom had was to cover for the dad and buy the basket herself. 

Which leads to the dilemma: should she help dad cover up his bad parenting, or should she let their 6-year-old son know exactly who his dad is? Is it her responsibility to keep up the illusion that this man is a good dad, just so that her son doesn’t feel bad about the situation? At this moment, Mom thinks Dad should suffer the consequences of his action and admit to their son that he’s at fault for the lack of an Easter basket. Then, the sweet boy will be picked up by his devoted Mom and properly celebrate Easter with her.