Another Sunday Excursion...

Well it's official, I have done what I never thought I would see at church. Here's the situation. Megan wakes up at about 6:30 (as is her routine during the week for school) and decides that she is going to play; no big deal we don't have church for two and a half hours. Around 7:30 she decides that she is hungry and proceeds to make herself a large bowl of Froot Loops. She eats about 5 bites and tells me she's full. I am not buying. I tell her she needs to eat the cereal quickly so she can get ready for church. Slower and slower she moves, whinier and whinier she becomes. I tell her she is not getting down until her cereal is eaten, and if that means she goes to church in her pajama's, so be it! She kindly responds, "Nuh-Uh!" I walk away and finish getting ready. She tries to get down and play, at which time she gets busted and put back on her chair. The time passes for her to have a shower. I let her know that now she does not get to shower because she has been wasting time. Well the time comes for us to go to church and there sits Megan at the table, Froot Loops the size of golf balls! I tell her to go and get her shoes on because we are going to church. She freaks out yelling and screaming how she's not ready and needs more time, blah blah blah! I tell her she wasted her time and it's time for church. So we get a coat and shoes on her (Her coat had to be zipped and buttoned up all the way)and get into the car! She keeps repeating, "Everyone going to laugh at me!" To which I calmly reply,"Your right Megan, EVERYONE will laugh at you. Maybe next week you'll get dressed!"
So we get to church and I ask Megan if she would like to take her coat off. The wheels started turning and you could see her weighing the pros and cons. She decides to take the coat off. This simple act makes me realize what had really transpired that morning. There is my 6 year old, eyes red and puffy, an embarrassed expression on her face, standing in a mostly torn "Favorite" white Little Mermaid night-gown doing her best to adjust the sleeves and neck line to make her self more presentable. I couldn't help it at all...I burst out laughing...granted I probably shouldn't have but dang it, it was funny! This is one moment in my life in which I can say I truly had no sympathy for her. She made her bed and now she could lye in it. Needless to say she elected to wear the coat throughout church.
We walked into sacrament meeting about 10 minutes late so everyone got a good look. She sat down in our pew and slunk down trying to hide. After sacrament a couple of people sitting around us as a simple question, "Not a fight worth having this morning?" To which we replied, "No." The usual response was something to the effect of "Don't feel bad, I did that once too!" Each was followed by an experience much like my morning went to which helped me feel better about my decision (not that I felt bad about it!) Now for those of you sympathising with Megan, by the end of church, she came running to me telling me all about how much everyone liked her "jamies!"
This week we didn't have the same battle, this time she started to get ready, but stopped after her shower to play. I reminded her that I didn't care what she looked like, she was going to go to church, yes naked if necessary! She promptly got dressed and was ready a good 15-20 minutes early. I think it worked.