Neighbor Logan (8) and his niece Lily (6) asked to come over to visit a couple of weeks after Easter. As they looked about for things to do, Logan suggested playing with a balloon. Knowing where we keep them, he ran to fetch one. We batted it about for a while, then they spotted two Easter baskets John had put out for decoration. The children wanted us to hide them. We had not hidden eggs for years, but the eggs were there and willing. Lily opened a plastic egg or two, asking if there were anything in them. All 15 were empty. We set no rules, so the children ran back in the room, grabbing eggs as fast as they could. Logan had the advantage, finding three times more than Lily.

When Logan first began coming to our house, he was not tall enough to see things on the kitchen counter. He is now. While hunting for eggs, he spotted a tiny glass container holding M&Ms and immediately knew how to get permission to eat them. He asked if they could put one candy in each egg and if I would hide them again. He specifically said there were not enough candies for two in each egg, so there were fewer than 30 pieces there. Both children opened the eggs and loaded them up. I hid them again, but there was a new rule in place as they began to hunt. Lily would find the first one, and they would take turns until all were found. When the candy was eaten, the children decided it was time to go home. Before they left, I requested two photos – one with silly faces and one with smiles.

I laughed later when I saw the M&M container was empty. The children must have disposed of the few extra ones after the eggs were loaded. I don’t know that children keep us young, but they do inspire mental diligence.