If you’re not fed up with the Harry Potter debate yet, Scott Peterson has a new poll up in which he asks:
Do you find the Harry Potter books flawless?
And if not, in what way are they less than perfect?
Please answer on his blog, not mine.
Also, I found the link to the Asia Times article that Scott referenced. It’s quite good.
Melanie,
Any idea at what age parents can start instilling in children the proper behavior at Church? I have a 6 month old and my husband and I are trying to say “shh” when she starts getting chatty, but she is still so young. She is our first though so we don’t know if we should be doing this so early or what.
I’m not a mother, so i dont have the experience of my own kiddos to offer, but i will say there’s nothing that lifts my heart in Church quite like a cooing baby.
Is it distracting? I suppose it might be. But it’s also delightful, and there’s no better place for delight than inside a Church celebrating Mass.
I miss having a little one…
CM I think at six months you can only instill the idea that this is a very special place where You are quiet and respond to the baby in a different but NOT tense way. Fastest way to make a baby cry is to be tense about his/her coos. Just whisper about what’s special so you remember yourself why you are being different. Babies do respond (incompletely) to the way you behave but six month olds don’t listen to shhing too much. My 2 cents.
Well, Bella actually likes the shhshing sound and it calms her down.
So far we’ve been very lucky and she’s been very good every time we’ve taken her to mass.
I firmly believe with Mandy that children belong at mass and that they learn to behave by going as often as possible. Even when I was single I was always delighted to see kids at mass and I very much wanted kids and babies at our wedding mass.
However, I also feel strongly that children who are being a distruption should be taken out. A few weeks ago I was quite distracted by a mother who let her toddler talk very loudly through the readings. I couldn’t hear the reading and couldn’t folow in the missal because I was holding Bella.
I’m not sure about what age you can expect children to adhere to good behaviors. I suspect it also varies from child to child. I think the best you can do is try to keep baby quiet and take her out when she gets too loud.
I know my sister in law starts to teach her kids genuflect as soon as they can walk, to say prayers as soon as they can talk. She reinforces good behavior in mass with praise but recognizes that for a three or four year old sitting still for an hour is a challenge.
I’ve heard of families who practice sitting still outside of mass and then discuss proper behavior at mass with the kids in the car on the way to church. Obviously not something one can do with a six month old.
For older kids I am a big fan of kids missals and of the great Magnifikids publication, put out by the people who do the Magnificat, which includes the mass readings, the order of mass, and fun activities for kids.
I’m not a fan of bringing snacks for kids. I think most children can last an hour without food and eating in church is a bad habit I’d rather not have to break. Better to avoid forming it in the first place.
To that end I feed Bella just before we go to mass and she’s fine for the hour we’re there. I’ve still not figured out the whole breastfeeding modestly in public thing.
Danielle Bean recently had a thread on the question of kids in mass recently that was pretty good.She’d know too, she’s working on number 7 now.
I’ve rambled now at length and don’t think I’ve actually addressed the question very well. I’m still figuring stuff out for myself and trying to play it by ear. I do whisper in Bella’s ear an explanation of what’s going on. Even though I know she can’t understand it now, I don’t think it’s ever too early to get in the habit because one day she will understand.
Cecilia I guess is presenting a bit of a challenge because the Shhh sound is ceasing to be of interest or notice to her. We do take her to mass daily but as she is learning “da” and “th” and other such sounds, she just gets more and more vocal. We do walk her in the back of the Church if she gets too loud and have always forbidden any toys during mass so she will not associate it with playtime (though we have allowed her to have her teething necklace to gum on). Nursing I ONLY do during mass if she gets the hiccups – it is the only way I know to get rid of them and she gets really upset if they continue for too long.
Melanie, like you this is my first so we are kindof learning as we go. I just know I’ve seen very young children behaving very well at mass and want my children to do the same. I’m just not sure how to get from where I am now to that. Thanks though. Maybe I will ask Danielle Bean for any suggestions