Less Serious Tones.

Yesterday's entry was very serious. I talked about how NOT to treat little kids. I ranted about how people are inconsiderate and talk to their children in a way that they most definitely should not. I made no comment about Crouton (formerly called R). I even didn't make a single comment on the number of entries on my blog. And I do have a thing for noticing odd numbers randomly.

*cough* Anyways.

Today was a less serious day. In a very Adrielnesque way.

You see, I got a Sunday school class to teach. Not normal Sunday school - none of the smartly dressed eight-year-olds and girls with pigtails. No, I get to teach the Confirmation candidates. Yes, the talking-back and angsty fifteen- and sixteen-year-olds, most of whom would much rather spend time in front of their computers or television sets (or going to parties) between Saturday evening and Sunday morning, then sleeping until noon.

But none of that for them - or for me - this year! Well, at least the "sleeping until noon" part. Why? The meetings are at nine am and go until ten thirty am, ending in a Mass until eleven thirty.

"But Adrielne, sleep is good. You love sleep. Are you really giving up sleep to talk to some talking-back and angsty fifteen- and sixteen-year-olds about going to Church?" you ask.

Yeah, I am.

It sounds like a really fun thing, as long as the group is willing to cooperate with me. Because of course I can make them memorize the prayers, lists of sins/good deeds/... and dates in the history of the Catholic Church that are in the little booklet... Or I can turn it into something more fun than the lessons I had (which were just that: memorizing).

Because a trivia game is more fun than a written quiz or sitting in a circle on the floor of a dark church with one candle each, everyone saying a verse of the prayer... Yeah, it sounds more fun.

Plus, we're supposed to go on at least two weekend trips over the course of the year - one in October, one in April. A huge opportunity for getting to know each other and getting the group to work together well.

Or I'm just so overexcited about finally doing something less mundane during the school year.

A lot of young people complain about the animators they have for their Confirmation preparation meetings. Those people tend to be either boring or weird. They make bad slideshow presentations and they tell the kids to memorize lines instead of turning it into something fun. To make up for the fact that we all have to wake up at eight am on a Sunday.

Anyways, my first meeting was just moments ago. Yeah, the first one is an organizational one and it's at 5pm on the first Sunday of September. So I actually got to meet the whole, sixty-something group of middle school kids and I was the first who got to choose their group.

Now most animators just do the "count off to four and the threes follow me, please!", but I decided to be more original. What did I do?

"Who wants to pray by candlelight, draw psalms, play laser tag and eat homemade cookies at meetings?" I shouted across the loud mob of kids. Ten hands immediately shot up in the air, followed by a few others. I picked the first five of those others along with the first brave ten and we went off to find ourselves the coziest corner of the cold church.

I know, I know, it might sound like a completely bizarre idea. I mean, honestly - prayers by candlelight? Eating homemade cookies at spiritual study group (that’s the official name for what we do) meetings? And what does laser tag have to do with anything?

But you see, that’s the trick to getting yourself a good group of people to work with: pick the excited ones of the bunch. The ones that actually want to be there and not just come because their parents want them to get the sacrament over and done with. Or those who just want the document that says “so-and-so is a Catholic” to be able to become a godparent. Or to marry. Whatever.

The shallow reasons are endless and they’re seriously annoying. And even if someone came just for the laser tag and cookies, ghost stories in candlelight can be fun, too. And there are some ghost stories in the Bible or in the diaries of saints or people who saw the “other side”- I just have to find some good ones!

Mwahahahaha.

I’m probably more excited for this than I should be, especially considering the ridiculous amount of work I’m going to have to do for school, but hey - I deserve to have some fun once in a while, right? And this sounds like it’ll be a whole lot of fun.

Why the odd stare? Oh, so I didn’t mention that five people from the group got my Harry Potter reference and two admitted to reading MLIA in the first ten minutes of our integration meeting thing? And there isn’t a single Twilight fan in the group? Or a stereotypical “dumb blonde” personality, regardless of hair color?

Yeah, I think I have the right to be as excited about this as I want xD