Christian community · encouragement · Marriage and Family

To The Parents with the Squirmy Kids at Worship

Elihu

 

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I saw you on Sunday morning.

I watched you walk down the aisle at least three times. On the first trip, you held a squirmy baby in one arm and a diaper bag in the other. Your second exodus involved a recalcitrant toddler, howling like a wolf at the moon. You made your last trip carrying the aforementioned baby and a nursing apron.

I observed the frustration in your eyes. You might have been asking yourself, “What’s the point of being here if I spend fifty percent of my time ferrying kids to and from the nursery, twenty percent answering random questions, and at least ten percent picking up spontaneously dropped objects.”

You might be thinking that absence is better than attendance…

Read the rest of my post over at TheCourage.com.

Published by Elihu

Elihu Anderson is a California refugee currently thriving on the West Texas plains. She is the founder of elihuscorner.com and is a contributor to Kirk Cameron's website TheCourage.com. When she isn't writing, reading, or teaching, she is sipping on some iced homemade chai and enjoying time with a good friend. Come by and say hi at elihuscorner.com or visit me on Facebook.com/elihuscorner

13 thoughts on “To The Parents with the Squirmy Kids at Worship”

  4. Very nice. My pastor says he loves the sound of a baby; he says that is the sound of the future. We go to great pains to make sure parents know kids are welcome. We do have a small nursery for the really small ones, but we don’t have children’s church of any kind. We like to get em in preaching early.

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    1. We don’t have children’s church either. I believe it’s important for kids to be part of worship to see what is important to their parents and learn how the Lord is to be honored. Kids as young as 7 or 8 (If no learning disabilities are present) can write down what the preacher shows on his power point or even the scriptures he quotes. thanks for your comment, Wally! God be with you.

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    1. Ah yes… I’ve been there too. I remember when it was 115F outside and probably 95 inside and I sat in one of the back classrooms for most of the service with a kicking and screaming toddler. Not only was I thoroughly embarrassed by her carrying screams, but I was distressed to be missing out on worship. Sometimes I think a spirit of endurance and compassion is formed during those moments. 😊 Thank you for commenting! God be with you.

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  6. This caught my attention. I was on staff in a church that wanted my children to act like robots and stir up strife when the kids didn’t act like statues. The pastor wanted to appease the people while trying to preserve our friendship. I resigned because of the tender nature of the situation and my disdain with a church political system. I’m now in a healthy situation that allows my kids to grow and gives them room to make mistakes.

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    1. That’s the best place to be. Our children should learn quietness, but they should also be able to ask questions. Sometimes my kids hear something and they’ll lean over and whisper a question or say (quietly), “ooh! That’s my memory verse!” We don’t want to crush their enthusiasm for worship. Thank you for your insight. God be with you

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