First Communion

It used to be, once a week, my mom dropped me off at CCD, picked me up an hour later. Then, in May of second grade you received First Communion. Or like me, whose mother started her late in First Communion, you received it in 3rd grade. (Forget the fact that my mother had just had a baby.) Now, this sacrament involves Faith Formation (CCD) and two years of extra preparation. This extra preparation comes in the form of monthly classes that kids must attend WITH their parent/parents. As the only Catholic in the family, that means I must go.

To put it mildly, these classes are dull. In fact, they were the longest hour and a half of my month. When La Nina complained, I was completely sympathetic and empathetic. I think she had to force me to go a couple of times.

Finally, after all the preparation, the big day arrived for La Nina last Saturday. After months of hearing that First Communion was not about the dress, for little girls, First Communion was all about the dress. DUH! La Nina was actually very easy to shop for. She picked out an inexpensive dress and shoes. She didn't want a veil and opted for an inexpensive bow. I got out of the whole deal for less than the cost of a dance costume, so I was thrilled. So thrilled, I told Maggie she didn't have to wear her sister's dress next year. If you're not Catholic, you should know there's a long standing Catholic tradition of handing down dresses.

La Nina was actually quite nervous about the whole thing. She had to walk in with a boy she didn't know and then there was the whole sip of wine thing. I let her try a sip of my wine before she tried it in church. I thought that trying wine at home was preferable to having her spit it out on the altar. She didn't like my wine, which was a good thing. In church, she took a sip and returned to our seat to announce that my wine was way better than the church's. On one level, I applauded her palate...but I sort of had to sush her. I mean really, people would think she was drinking wine with dinner every night and in the US, this just isn't done.

After the church service, we came back to our house for tacos with friends and family. All the grown women discussed our First Communion dress dramas...bad socks, veils, no veils, too short, too long, everyone woman had something to say. I, of course, told my tale of woe, the lone 3rd grader getting the host. Because when you're 8, no matter how hard the church tries, First Communion is about the dress and the experience. I hope La Nina remembers hers as a good experience. But if she doesn't, it's okay. Having some sort of a beef with your First Communion seems to be as much a part of the experience as bad wine.