I have always been the driving force behind our weekly attendance at church.  When Dave was living with us, he accepted a strong roll in getting everyone to the car for mass in a somewhat orderly fashion.  It was a rhythm that I appreciated since the hour between waking up and actually setting foot in the church was usually quite the event at our house.  If we didn’t check on the kids progress every 10 minutes you could be sure at least one would fall back to sleep, throwing the entire effort of going to church into a complete shit show.  Every Sunday is like the first time ever for them.  My kids still don’t grasp on to the routine even though I forewarn them the night before so they can be prepared.  You would think they would save themselves the aggravation and just accept their fate for one hour each Sunday.   

Some weeks, such as today, I leave them home.  There are times when I don’t want to hear them talk in church, squeeze each others hand during the Our Father until one of them drops to their knees, or argue with them all the way to and from the car about why we have to go to church and which kids in their class do and don’t have to go.  I don’t want to apologize to the people around us for whatever mishap they can create when they are supposed to just sit quietly in the pew.  I would rather go peacefully to start the week with a positive mind and full of enthusiasm.  However I won’t let their attendance slide regularly.  No way!  Once in a while is good, enough for them to feel like they have victory but not so much that they get comfortable on Sunday mornings.  Life is such a balance and when done correctly everyone feels like a winner.  Today I enjoyed mass with no interruptions.  It was perfect!  Next Sunday we are back to the routine – pray for me!