Growing Up

Alexis will turn 8 years old in February. It's hard to believe that she is already in 2nd grade. Where did pre-school, kindergarten, and 1st grade go? I will always remember the day she was born, her first words, her first steps...and like all of her other "firsts," I will always remember her First Reconciliation.

Last night, we attended church so Alexis could participate in the Generations of Faith activities and so she could make her first confession with the priest. In the Catholic world, this is a very big deal as it's one of the sacraments. Alexis and I have been attending classes twice a month since September in preparation for the big event. Well, needless to say, she was very nervous about having to share her "sins" with the priest.

Even though we did many activities in reflection of the 10 Commandments, Alexis seemed to have a difficult time coming up with any sins she committed. Jadee and I even gave her some hints (fighting with her brother, talking back to mom and dad, lying, stealing her brother's toys, etc.), but she would always act as though she was incapable of doing anything wrong.

Well, after she finished her first confession with the priest, I asked her how it went and if she was able to come up with anything to ask forgiveness for. She responded by telling me that she feels so much better and that she will be able to be a better person now because she has been carrying around her sins in her head for too long. I was like, "Wow, she is really growing up." Of course I just had to ask her how many sins she shared with the priest. She reminded me that what she told him was private but that she was able to come up with "2" sins. I just had to smile.