I have a son that goes to the nursery, and he loves it. He gets to play, and run around, and have fun during the first two hours of church. But, somehow, during Sacrament meeting, which is last in my ward, he still manages to be a handful. He is tired, hungry, ready for a nap, and ends up just wanting to squirm in our laps for the entire last hour of church. It can be exhausting.
There was one Sunday not too long ago where I just turned to my husband after 45 minutes of kids crying, getting up and down 3 times, and trying to keep the kids happy, and I just said, “We’re leaving”. I just couldn’t handle the Sunday Shuffle any longer. I was done.
Did I feel guilty? Not one bit. My ward is made up of primarily older couples and families. There are not a lot of babies. But, everyone seems pretty understanding. No one has ever given me the dirty look for kids being too loud, but sometimes, it is just too much stress for me to handle. While I firmly believe it is important to continue going each week, no matter what I may or may not get out of it, it can be hard to have a positive attitude.
I was reading about a ward on a blog called, My Mormon Third Eye, that separated the young families into a separate Gospel Doctrine class, so that they could have all their pre-nursery babies wander around in the back of the class and be happy, and they in turn could actually get something out of the lesson. Do I love this idea? Yes.
Then the thought came to me, why not do this in Sacrament meeting? Wouldn’t it be great to have a separate room, with a glass wall, that was sound proof of course, where all the young families could sit, but still see, and hear Sacrament meeting? The kids could have toys in the corner that they sat and played with, and the parents could actually listen because they weren’t so stressed about keeping those kids quiet. A secret nursery during Sacrament Meeting.
While this is all wishful thinking, I am grateful that we get to take our kids to Sacrament meeting. It is a great time to teach them about the importance of reverence, about the sacrament, and about the importance of attending church each and every week. No matter what you get out of it. But, I do believe they are getting something. I do.
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