A Father's Prayer

 

A father's prayer for his children. Please share.

Parents With Young Children In Church

This is a great article:

http://www.iamtotallythatmom.blogspot.com/2013/05/dear-parents-with-young-children-in.html

I don't want to jump through all the copyright hoops to quote it here, so I'll just leave the link (above) and summarize.  

Basically - we NEED your children in church!  Your children, while they may seem disruptive to you - to most of the rest of us, we rejoice to hear the young voices and the pitter-patter of their feet.  We don't mind smiling at them or giving them a wink as they look at us.  They are not so much distractions as they are blessings.  They help make complete "the Body of Christ" in the "Church Militant," for without them, eventually the Church Militant gets old, passes on - and we need the young ones to fill those slots!

We know how hard it is to try and control the babies and toddlers - most of us did it too!  We know what you're going through!  And you know what, we love you!  We love your kids!  We love watching them grow and mature and becoming more and more part of the community which is our Church.  We understand there are times when you feel like you need to step outside, but please don't be ashamed to come back in!  

This is not to say that there aren't some crotchety old timers who may have forgotten how they struggled with their own children - or maybe they didn't struggle enough with their children, and their children figured out how to get out of church by making a big enough stink that eventually they caved in and stopped trying?  Don't be that crotchety old person!  Don't become that crotchety old person!  Care enough for your children to suffer through some tough weeks of getting them to go (or come back).  Care enough for yourself so that when you're that age you can look to those young families struggling and smile with appreciation and even encourage the parents.  Love goes a lot further than sour looks!

Lead by example.  Don't just go there and let them make you feel miserable, go and worship God.  Show them by your actions how important worshiping God in His Community while celebrating His Sacrament.  If they have not yet received their First Holy Communion, bring them up with you anyway!  The minister will often give them a special blessing while you receive.