So, we caught some flack today for snaking a pew from another family.
But I ask you: Would you rather sit somewhere else or listen to two toddlers yell at eachother from across the chapel?
"It's Gigi!"
"Spencer Baby!"
"It's Gigi!"
"Spencer Baby!"
"It's Gigi!"
"Spencer Baby!"
"It's Gigi!"
"Spencer Baby!"
"It's Gigi!"
"Spencer Baby!"
(As it was, the two love birds spent the entire meeting under the pew, burping and spitting on each other, then howling with laughter. But guess what? I got to LISTEN to the speakers!)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
10 comments:
A few weeks ago, my crew and I (sans Papi, who was at another ward) were sitting with the suedonym family. I worried that kiddos were making too much of a bother for others when mister suedonym enlightened me: They're being quiet, they're not bothering anyone.
and I got to listen, too!
(yay gigi!)
...i didn't clarify my thoughts, there.
...meaning, they don't have to be reading scriptures, or paying intense attention to the speakers. Quiet is quiet. ta-da.
Amen ~j. And who said there was a seating chart at church. I hate it when people get upset when you sit in "their" pew.
Oooooh, ~cari~, don't get me started on that one. grrrrr. (Maybe I'll have to blog about that one another time...)
Yeah, that gets me too. We are new in the ward and have taken someone's pew three times.... so I guess the new people have to sit in the back?? (although, this ward has a bonified cryroom right next to the chapel w/ a glass window and everything. That is where we sit...).
And, I live in the divorce ward. They really call it that. There are currently as many divorced couples that are STILL in the ward (often w/ their new spouse's and new kids) as there are married oness (not counting the Stanford students...). I also heard this week of two new couples getting divorced. Yup, the divorce ward.
Once someone snaked a row from us and it was the worst Sunday ever.
We were both headed for the front, side. They got there a little ahead of us and took the last row with a pew in front. We were left with the very front, no protective barrier pew in front of us.
They have an 8 yr old, 10 yr old and a teenager. We had a 2.5 year old that was not contained by the pew and made a break for the stand EVERY TWO MINUTES. I was pregnant and couldn't move very quickly to catch him.
Yeah...
Not happy was I. THINK A LITTLE PEOPLE.
I didn't make it clear that they rushed in front of us.
Bek. . .what do you mean . . .new people have to sit in the back row? That's MY row! See, then Whitney has a full 5 feet before the row in front of us to throw her books and goldfish crackers while the Deacons try to dance around her and pass the sacrament while she chases them for the bread. Ahhh. Such an enjoyable meeting.
I think that church is one of the hardest places to feel like a Good Mommy--people that would go out of their way to be a good samaritan to anyone else are so easily inconvenienced with young children while they are trying to worship. I just want to yell from the pulpit--"Guess what? I am creating a habit of church-going with my kid! Even if it kills me! Even if it kills all of you! So shut up! And get over the crumbs and the fact that she is noisy! Where are your kids? Oh, right--crack houses."
One of my favorite sacrament meetings was in our old ward before we had kids. A bunch of young couples had recently invaded the ward due to openings in a formerly less-known apartment complex. This brought a surge of young kiddos that the ward had not seen in quite a while. You can imagine the "tension" amongst the old timers. All of the above were committed: seat snaking, "inconvenienced" glares, etc., etc. Mind you this was not a "crazy" ward where kids were running a-muck and hanging from the chandeliers. There were kids...just being kids.
One day, the 2nd counselor in the St. Prez was speaking (he was a ward member). He gets up to the pulpit. Just smiles this generous, wonderful, warm smile as he glances around. Then proceeds to start his talk with giving thanks for the wonderful sights and sounds of children filling the chapel. He praised the parents for being there even though it was hard. He commended them for bringing their children to a place where they would feel the spirit and become accustomed to sabbath worship. He prodded the older members to think back on those wonderful days when they sat in the pews with their own young families. He went on for a few minutes in this manner before proceeding with his talk. I can't even tell you what he spoke about that day! Nothing related!!! But that message has always stuck with me.
Post a Comment