I had a hard time on Easter Sunday.
We visited the large church where they were doing an Easter musical about the life of Christ with all the graphic details of the crucifixion.
I had seen productions like this before and understood it could be hard for my kids, but at the same time, I wanted them to see the other scenes like Jesus being born and healing the sick. (It was a long musical!)
Gregory and Daniel were both very scared during the arrest and crucifixion of Christ. Of course, it wasn't
The Passion of the Christ up on stage, but there was still enough to scare a small child.
Greg kept saying he wanted to go home and Daniel kept asking if it was done. Thankfully, the story always has a happy ending, but I couldn't help wondering if we shouldn't have had them in there. Granted, there were many small children in the auditorium, but each child is different.
I never want to hide the truth from my children, but it's hard knowing how much truth to share at one time. It's like handing a child a plate of steak. They might like steak and it is good for them, but an adult has to cut it into something they can digest and handle.
And while we're on this subject, I think we should put some thought into these grand productions. Now that I have children, I wish they could take the Easter story and keep it strong without worrying about the fears I just wrote about. And after seeing
The Passion, anything else falls short.
What I do know is that my children walked away with a real sense of the punishment Jesus took for their sins, and there can be no damage in that. They haven't had nightmares or bouts of fear since Sunday. Thankfully, their memories are short and they are quick to move on to the next thing that captures their attention. Just wondered if anyone else has had these thoughts.
