tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-94747407415633325.post4458027733505510758..comments2024-03-21T01:30:05.733-05:00Comments on Are We There Yet?: Whadda Ya Expect?Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16636115320397120406noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-94747407415633325.post-55235478694096139802009-11-16T13:51:53.688-06:002009-11-16T13:51:53.688-06:00Excellent! My 3 grandchildren have accompanied my ...Excellent! My 3 grandchildren have accompanied my daughter and her husband, and us, to Mass since being born. Only a handful of times when they were infants did anyone need take them out of Mass. My daughter brought favorite hand toys, cheerios in a covered plastic dish, all kinds of things to occupy them. Now they are ages 7, 9 and 10. My 10-year old granddaughter is serving at Mass. One grandson brings a Star Trek man and the other follows the Missal and sings right along with the adults (he says he's going to be a pro-football player during the week and a priest on the weekends) ... yet we see children older than ours who still misbehave, cause distraction and the parents sit there chiding them in the pews instead of LEAVING and going the CRY ROOM. I have to close my eyes during the Homily or else I'll be completely pulled away from it.<br /><br />My two cents and they aren't worth that much, but that's how it went with our little ones.Abbey's Roadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04031127190630487584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-94747407415633325.post-12289864967807497792009-11-16T10:19:38.782-06:002009-11-16T10:19:38.782-06:00Thank you so much! We match up well in the expecta...Thank you so much! We match up well in the expectations department but it helps to know that we're being reasonable. <br /><br />We expect the same things of our babies and toddlers--we take them out if they are making noise but we do not let them run around in the vestibule or the cry room. They are held in back of the church, looking through the windows to where mass continues without us. <br /><br />There are no snacks for our children during mass. We eat breakfast ahead of time. Our parish is nearby (five minutes) so it is not necessary for us to get an early driving start. There is no climbing in the pew and wiggly worms must be held. No one leaves for the bathroom except maybe a newly potty trained toddler. Even then, only if I can tell it's an emergency. We bring the children's security blankets until they are a little past 3 and then they can have the soft bible for mass. <br /><br />We don't have missals for the children yet but I think that I will head down to our Catholic store this week to pick up three of them. I'm glad that you suggested this. I've been trying to help Morgan (our 7 year old first communicant) follow along in the adult missal but it's a little complicated. I bet she would be must more interested in her own.<br /><br />I think that we will try practicing at home. I hadn't thought to do that. <br /><br />I also laughed at the part where you said that you'd spent much more time outside of the church proper than in. It seems that way! We call it alligator wrestling because that's what it feels like by the end. We head back to the vestibule with a noisy toddler and s/he squirms more because the other children back there are just running around. *sigh* Then they figure out that they're not getting down and eventually figure out that they're going to be taken out for making noise and that it's uncomfortable.<br /><br />Now I've got a wiggly worm trying to crawl up on my lap and so I will quit "talking" your ear off. <br /><br />Thank you for this post! I'm going to bookmark it! :)Aubreyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13144780265730192629noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-94747407415633325.post-90295964335852165752009-11-16T06:41:47.419-06:002009-11-16T06:41:47.419-06:00This indeed was magnificent...I started to add som...This indeed was magnificent...I started to add something more but it was much to cynical and perhaps not appropriate. My children all learned in an early age the importance and significance of their behavior in church. My grandchildren do as well. I amazes me that to some parents education is out of their realm of responsibility. Well, this is shorter, but is still a bit cynical. Sorry! This is a tremendous lesson and indeed someone should publish it and make it required reading!!! CathyA Bit of the Blarneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18418671116015181693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-94747407415633325.post-25981450496915093382009-11-16T05:47:25.656-06:002009-11-16T05:47:25.656-06:00Please submit this to a Catholic Family Magazine.
...Please submit this to a Catholic Family Magazine.<br />My goodness you are sensible.<br />This is not the culture in which I teach.<br />I will not be able to teach much longer because of the "we don't want the kids to be bored" mentality.<br />Oh I could go on forever, but instead I will praise your diligent parenting and hope that you will consider publishing this somewhere else as well.<br />Good stuff, my dear.Laurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09630262224739505223noreply@blogger.com