Children And Sacrament

[Palerider]

We would always let our kids look at books or color after the Sacrament was blessed and passed....you just mentioned a great teaching method and that is.....children will do what they see their parents do....

[M98Ranger]

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Then they sit there with a screaming kid for the remainder of the passing instead of taking them out into the hall.

This is a bit off-topic, but I was always bothered by the fact that I was constantly bothering someone when I was attending LDS sacrament mtg. When my child (notably between 12 and 18 months) would start being loud, as most kids do at that age, I would take him out in the foyer. The times I didn't, I got horrible looks. However, my MIL and others would give me crap bc "He will learn that all he has to do is be loud and act up, and then he won't have to sit there. He can go out in the hall." I felt like I could never win.

IMO, if you attend a church that doesn't have a nursery, you need to expect some moises and interruptions from children... it's just their nature. And do you really think Jesus would be annoyed by children making noise? No, I'm pretty sure he's look back at them and smile.

I absolutely agree. And I don't beleive I am going against the science of child development/child psychology when I say that regardless of whether or not a child is able to be manipulative a child can develop behaviors based on the fact that a child finds out, "Hey, if I scream during Sacrement I get taken out and Mommy or Daddy plays with/entertains/takes care of me."

You do need to work with your children at home to get them to react better and quicker in situations such as church meetings. However, children cry. Thats what they do. Often times people have to take responsibility for themselves to feel the spirit regardless of whether or not there is a crying child in the background. Its difficult to not get frustrated when things like that happen. But as for me, I look at the development of my child and if I think that in order to teach them that it is going to help them more to stay in sacrament then to take them out then I will stay regardless of whether or not people want to allow themselves to focus on the annoying child behind them.

When President Spencer W. Kimball's Home teacher noticed that he didn't take the sacrament once, the president explained, [paraphrased of course] "My wife was at home sick and I was so worried about her I couldn't concentrate on Christ and his atonement for my sins. Consequently, I decided that it would be unworthy of me to take the sacrament and I declined."

The president took responsibility for his own actions of not thinking about the sacrament, even though it was for a very innocent reason not of his making and out of his control. I think that often others would benefit from his example in this instance.

I am not saying that I don't advocate taking a child out of Sacrament when they are exceptionally disruptive. HOwever, WHEN (I have children obviously) I do take my children out, they recieve a timeout and a remittance of some privelege or property (there is no good natural consequence for disrupting spiritual meetings when you are young, but you can certainly contrive some good ones ie. taking away a toy they like or some such for a period of time). So long as you let them know immediately what the consequence is, make sure the punishment fits the behavior and do not ever renegotiate on your "fitting punishment" the child will quickly (sometimes not so quickly) conform to the proper behaviors most of the time. My children consequently do not act out in sacrament but very rarely.

[kabah]

My wife and I are struggling. We know children don't need the sacrament, as they are innocent until the age of accountability.

The problem: my wife doesn't want our almost 3 yr old to partake since she doesn't need it. I agree, but it is getting to be a struggle keeping her out of the trays as they are passed. My problem....I am afraid that my daughter will feel excluded as she sees all the other kids her age partaking. I am afraid she will think she is being punished, as she is too young to understand she doesn't need it.

any suggestions?

i have three daughters (6yrs 4yrs and 19mths) all 3 partake they even try for seconds! go with what you feel comfortable with

My wife and I are struggling. We know children don't need the sacrament, as they are innocent until the age of accountability.

The problem: my wife doesn't want our almost 3 yr old to partake since she doesn't need it. I agree, but it is getting to be a struggle keeping her out of the trays as they are passed. My problem....I am afraid that my daughter will feel excluded as she sees all the other kids her age partaking. I am afraid she will think she is being punished, as she is too young to understand she doesn't need it.

any suggestions?

i have three daughters (6yrs 4yrs and 19mths) all 3 partake they even try for seconds! go with what you feel comfortable with