My husband and I try hard to teach our religion to our children. We are Roman Catholic - cradle Catholics, the both of us. We both teach at private, catholic schools - me because I chose to and my husband because he's a Latin teacher and the only place to get a Latin job is apparently at a catholic school.
So it's important to us that our children understand and appreciate our faith. We talk about the Holy Family and we pray with the kids before they go to bed. We try to pray before meals, but normally we are dodging whatever food they are throwing so that doesn't always happen.
Still, we don't get to church as often as would hope to go. Taking two toddlers to church is not a holy experience. And since I refuse to sit in the "cry room," (my kids are part of the church too, I am not going to segregate them) we normally sit in the back where we can take whichever munchkin is misbehaving out to the courtyard.
Last Sunday, though, is an excellent example of why we don't always take our children to Mass.
Frazzled, we walked into church 20 minutes late. We thought that we would only have missed the first reading. However, the priest didn't process in, which means we showed up just after the homily. We had to step over an elderly couple to find room in the middle of a pew. During the collection, my daughter promptly threw a fit because she wanted to put the "pennies" into the basket. My son decided banging his Colors book against the pew was hilarious. But once we got settled, we were okay... so I thought.
When we stood up for Communion, my son started clapping. When he realized we weren't leaving, he started to cry.
And my daughter -- oh, it was so embarrassing.
So it's important to us that our children understand and appreciate our faith. We talk about the Holy Family and we pray with the kids before they go to bed. We try to pray before meals, but normally we are dodging whatever food they are throwing so that doesn't always happen.
Still, we don't get to church as often as would hope to go. Taking two toddlers to church is not a holy experience. And since I refuse to sit in the "cry room," (my kids are part of the church too, I am not going to segregate them) we normally sit in the back where we can take whichever munchkin is misbehaving out to the courtyard.
Last Sunday, though, is an excellent example of why we don't always take our children to Mass.
Frazzled, we walked into church 20 minutes late. We thought that we would only have missed the first reading. However, the priest didn't process in, which means we showed up just after the homily. We had to step over an elderly couple to find room in the middle of a pew. During the collection, my daughter promptly threw a fit because she wanted to put the "pennies" into the basket. My son decided banging his Colors book against the pew was hilarious. But once we got settled, we were okay... so I thought.
When we stood up for Communion, my son started clapping. When he realized we weren't leaving, he started to cry.
And my daughter -- oh, it was so embarrassing.
I have been teaching her to cross her arms over her chest and to say, "Father, may I please have a blessing?" She walked slowly up to the altar, arms crossed over her chest, pony tails crooked, eyes darting everywhere as took in the stained glass windows and different carvings. I was bursting with pride as I walked behind her... and then, when she got up to the priest, she said, "Father, may I please have a donut now?"
I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole.
I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole.
LOL!!! Love it! What did Fr. Say? hahaha! Girl, you HAVE to find the nursery to put the kids into until they are at least 3 years old, then put them in sunday school. It is SO worth it! Once they are old enough to go to church with you then I would suggest trying the front pew. Crazy sounding, right? We did it and not only do the kids pay attention better but we can also threaten them by whispering into their ears, "Fr. So&so is watching you!!" :)
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