Can this toolbox mend a broken heart?

(aeriel view):

Travel Trailer has been drooling over this toolbox at Costco for about a month. Begging for it so he can help dad fix stuff. So we thought it'd make a great Easter basket this year. Even filled it with candy in addition to the tools it came with. The boys were beside themselves this morning when they found them. So ecstatic! So short lived.

On the way home from church, Travel Trailer asked Dad if he bought it. RV hesitated and then said "yes, Bud, I did." Oh my goodness. Oh no you di-int! We wanted the truth to come out this year, but ON Easter?!!? Oh no you di-int! You've got to be kidding me. It's not enough that you scarred my children to begin with but now you're going to finish the job off - on Easter!?! One of us wanted to start the whole Santa, Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy thing years ago and one of us didn't .... but I won't say who was in which camp.

You could see the wheels spinning in the back seat. By the time we got home, Pop Up was in tears. He ran upstairs. His poor little heart was broken. I don't know who cried more, him or me. So then came the questions. Was the whole Santa thing a lie too? And what about the tooth fairy? So, we hugged and cried some more. He said "I can't believe my parents have been lying to me." Finally, Travel Trailer came up and bounced in the room "what's going on"? Pop Up instantly declares that their parents are liars and tells him everything. TT says with a smile on his face "oh, that's ok, I still love you! I don't care about those other things, I just love you so much!"

Now, RV and I have had discussions along the way about how each child will take "the news". We couldn't have gotten it more wrong. We totally thought each of them would react the opposite of how they actually did. But PUp is my very sensitive child. He has always worn his heart on his sleeve.

So I did what any good mother would do and tried to solve the situation at hand with food. And since I didn't want to cook anyway, tonight we'll dine at one of Pop Up's favorites: Texas Roadhouse. A good steak can solve almost anything. I even told him to order dessert to take some of the sting out of the day.

My children will always remember Easter 2008 as the day part of their childhood and innocence ended. About the only redeeming thing I can find out of it all is: Those other things might not be real. But Jesus IS real and your Heavenly Father won't let you down like those earthly parents have been known to do.

And I'll remind him of that every time he laments over the fact that his Easter Day was ruined. I know there will be hundreds, if not thousands of times over the years that he'll remind us. He already HAS mentioned it 1/2 dozen times just today since noon.

It's a lot for a 9 year old to take in. He vascilates from: "I'm not going to lie to my children" to "I'll wait to tell my children the truth until they are 20 so they can still have a happy childhood" to "I'm still going to believe". :-)