We came close

We almost made it through the church service on Sunday. 5 minutes before the service ended, I had to take my 15-month-old out. Due to circumstances I won't go into here, our church has canceled all children's ministries until further notice. From the time our kids turned 4, they have left the nursery and sat in the worship service with me. I haven't had time to properly train our 3-year-old yet and now I'm trying to keep a 15-month-old quiet too. I was never aware of how loud a 3 yo's whisper truly is. Of course, there are other babies and children in the service but why does it seem like my kids are so loud? My husband works on Sundays so he is unable to attend services with us. We usually sit waaaay in the back. Yesterday we sat up in the balcony. Usually I sneak out with my 3 yo and 6 yo in tow to spend most of the service in the nursery. I haven't liked doing that though. I would prefer to at least leave my 6 yo sitting in the pew with his brother but I have awful visions of my 9 yo and 6 yo boys elbowing each other and loudly 'whispering,' "Stop it!" At the end of the service there were Cheerios scattered on the floor as well as a few board books but I think we did pretty well.

A few years ago I read the book Uniting Church and Home. The main idea is that the church should not segregate family members, but encourage them to worship and grow in faith together. The book has many good points. I just wish implementing those ideas was easier! But I guess every worthwhile goal takes work.