Sacrament "Game" to Keep my Son from Falling Asleep

[Guest]

My 9-year-old has a habit of falling asleep during Sacrament meeting talks. Yesterday, I started a new trend. We all play a "game" and the winner gets a "prize". The game is, we all pick a word that we think is going to be mentioned the most in the sacrament talks. We can only pick that word once every month - we have to use a new word for each week of the month. We rotate who gets to pick a word first. My 9-year-old brings his journal to sacrament meeting and he is in charge of marking down how many times a word is spoken.

So, this is what is in his journal yesterday:

Mr. Anatess - Faith = 1

Anatess - Thank = 2

Anatesslet1 - Convert = 0

Anatesslet2 - Jesus = 4

Jesus wins!

[Dravin]

Seems similar to ideas I've heard floated about keeping kids interested in General Conference. It beats scribbling on a coloring book or filling in find-a-words.

[MarginOfError]

I think we should do some kind institutional change to keep sacrament meeting from being so dreadfully and painfully susceptible to being absurdly boring.

I've been to a few worship services for other religions now, and the thing that has stood out to me from those services is a sense of community worship. We don't have that, and I think it's a shame. Our services are too prone to poor planning, bad sermons, and general lack of interest. I have officially concluded that Mormons have the most boring worship service in town.

[Bini]

This is a fun idea.

I should do this with the Hallmark movies that are playing, though, it wouldn't be out of boredom but fun because I LOVE Hallmark movies.

[Dravin]

This is a fun idea.

I should do this with the Hallmark movies that are playing, though, it wouldn't be out of boredom but fun because I LOVE Hallmark movies.

Make it an non-alcoholic drinking game. Whenever a plot element comes forward take a swig: Adultery, Comma, Cancer, Adoption, Financial difficulty...

Edited November 19, 2012 by Dravin

[Guest]

I have been the music conductor at sacrament meeting for 3+ years now. The first year, if the intermediate hymn is upbeat, I would make the signal and everybody stands up for the song. It re-energizes my family between talks. And for those Sundays that have a slow intermediate hymn, it just keeps my family on the edge of their seat guessing if today is the day to stand or not - so they still get the re-energizing effect.

We have a new bishop and he told me not to do that anymore... So we started this game to keep my son from falling asleep.

[MarginOfError]

I have been the music conductor at sacrament meeting for 3+ years now. The first year, if the intermediate hymn is upbeat, I would make the signal and everybody stands up for the song. It re-energizes my family between talks. And for those Sundays that have a slow intermediate hymn, it just keeps my family on the edge of their seat guessing if today is the day to stand or not - so they still get the re-energizing effect.

We have a new bishop and he told me not to do that anymore... So we started this game to keep my son from falling asleep.

It bugs me that they're telling leaders not to have the congregational stand during the intermediate hymn. Way to take out the one piece of the meeting that isn't steeped in monotony.

[Dravin]

I have been the music conductor at sacrament meeting for 3+ years now. The first year, if the intermediate hymn is upbeat, I would make the signal and everybody stands up for the song. It re-energizes my family between talks. And for those Sundays that have a slow intermediate hymn, it just keeps my family on the edge of their seat guessing if today is the day to stand or not - so they still get the re-energizing effect.

We have a new bishop and he told me not to do that anymore... So we started this game to keep my son from falling asleep.

I like standing up for the intermediate hymn (upbeat or slow).

[pam]

There is also some great ideas out there for General Conference as well. If I still had young kids, I'd be using a few of those myself.

[Bini]

Our ward NEVER does this.

[Guest]

It bugs me that they're telling leaders not to have the congregational stand during the intermediate hymn. Way to take out the one piece of the meeting that isn't steeped in monotony.

I like standing up for the intermediate hymn (upbeat or slow).

I wasn't quite sure why we can't do it anymore. I know it is allowed from what it says on the back of the hymnbook. Unless, there's a new rule? I probably should just brave it and ask the bishop... why?

[Wingnut]

There's an app for that...

[MarginOfError]

I noticed it happening more after the Temple Department decided not to have people stand up during the endowment ceremony. Presumably, the reason for that change was that they didn't want people who had difficulty with the up and down (primarily old people) to be discouraged from attending the temple.

The spreading epidemic of not standing for the intermediate hymn is, I suspect, tied to either well meaning leaders wanting to emulate what we do in the temple, or to a directive from higher up to stop the practice. The official reason given by my stake was to make sacrament meetings uniform throughout the stake.

Sometimes it feels like the Church is trying too hard to not be like other churches. I think it's time the pendulum swung back toward the center and we recognized that perhaps we could learn a few things from other churches.

For instance, I was at a bar mitzvah on Saturday. The rabbi started the service with a general announcement, (paraphrased), "as is the tradition with our service, there will be frequent standing and sitting. If you have difficulty standing, we invite you to remain seated, as is appropriate to our custom and our faith." It was simple, heartfelt, and empathetic. ......

Look at me, I'm ranting now. I'll shut up

I'm glad you found a way to keep your children engaged in sacrament meeting. Thank you for sharing, and please forgive me for hijacking your thread.

<going away into irrelevance>

[Saguaro]

I wasn't quite sure why we can't do it anymore. I know it is allowed from what it says on the back of the hymnbook. Unless, there's a new rule? I probably should just brave it and ask the bishop... why?

There's no new rule that I know of, in fact Handbook 2 allows it and even refers to the hymn book. "As appropriate, a priesthood leader may ask a congregation to stand for an intermediate hymn or a national anthem (see “Hymns for Congregations,” Hymns, 380–81)."

Music 

[Wingnut]

There's no new rule that I know of, in fact Handbook 2 allows it and even refers to the hymn book. "As appropriate, a priesthood leader may ask a congregation to stand for an intermediate hymn or a national anthem (see “Hymns for Congregations,” Hymns, 380–81)."

Music*

My stake also has the "no standing for intermediate hymns" rule, but if we ever sing the national anthem in sacrament meeting, you better believe I'll be the first one on my feet, after the chorister herself.

[Traveler]

I do not know what "you people" are thinking. It is a blessing to have children sleep through sacrament meeting. There is hardly anything going on in there for them anyway. In the early history of the Church children were not invited to sacrament meeting for a reason.

When my children were young my only goal was keeping them from disliking church attendance. Strange as it may seem we did all kinds of things that they would like that was only available at church. My wife had all kinds of "quiet" toy things and church was the only time they got to play with them.

Now keeping the high priests awake is a whole other problem. I had a bishop I loved dearly that would regularly fall asleep during sacrament

meeting. I gave him a Christmas present one year that had open eyes painted on the glass - so he would always look awake when he wore them - but he never did.

The Traveler

[Guest]

I do not know what "you people" are thinking. It is a blessing to have children sleep through sacrament meeting. There is hardly anything going on in there for them anyway. In the early history of the Church children were not invited to sacrament meeting for a reason.

When my children were young my only goal was keeping them from disliking church attendance. Strange as it may seem we did all kinds of things that they would like that was only available at church. My wife had all kinds of "quiet" toy things and church was the only time they got to play with them.

Now keeping the high priests awake is a whole other problem. I had a bishop I loved dearly that would regularly fall asleep during sacrament

meeting. I gave him a Christmas present one year that had open eyes painted on the glass - so he would always look awake when he wore them - but he never did.

The Traveler

Sure. If your children are under 8. Once your child hits the age of reason, he needs to be paying attention so he'll learn some tools/information/nuggets of wisdom to use to hone his reasoning skills.

[Traveler]

Sure. If your children are under 8. Once your child hits the age of reason, he needs to be paying attention so he'll learn some tools/information/nuggets of wisdom to use to hone his reasoning skills.

8 is the age of accountability not wisdom.

A friend of mine was teaching the HP and asked why they attended church - a member of the stake presidency said he came to be inspired and partake of the spirit. My friend said - so you believe if you are not inspired and partake of the spirit - you will quit coming? Another friend in attendance was attempting to return from losing his membership was asked the same question and he said he attended church because he had made a promise and covenant with G-d that he would attend whenever possible.

I am personally more aligned with my excommunicated friend trying to find place a purpose.

Also to consider - children do not completely develop logic and reasoning abilities until they are 25. But we are implanting memories. If church is a relatively unpleasant experience garnering criticism - they will mostly have implanted for many years to come those unpleasant memories. Research conducted by the church indicates that children that learn to enjoy church during the ages 12 -15 are most likely to serve missions and stay active.

It is my personal belief that the concept of enjoyment at this critical age of beginning teenagers is not so much entertainment as it is a feeling of accomplishment and acceptance.

As a side note - anatess - it is my impression that you are a unusually successful parent and that your children enjoy spending time with you as much as with their friends. I do not think that is because of your sacrament games but because such things are extensions of other things going on in your home. That such things are the rule rather than the exception and that is why those "church" things work so well for you.

The Traveler

[dahlia]

Lord help me, but by time Sunday School comes around, I need a game to keep myself awake! I have caught myself nodding and just hope that I wasn't snoring.

[Wingnut]

Lord help me, but by time Sunday School comes around, I need a game to keep myself awake! I have caught myself nodding and just hope that I wasn't snoring.

My four-year-old was caught snoring during the bishop's remarks at Young Women in Excellence last night.

[Guest]

8 is the age of accountability not wisdom.

A friend of mine was teaching the HP and asked why they attended church - a member of the stake presidency said he came to be inspired and partake of the spirit. My friend said - so you believe if you are not inspired and partake of the spirit - you will quit coming? Another friend in attendance was attempting to return from losing his membership was asked the same question and he said he attended church because he had made a promise and covenant with G-d that he would attend whenever possible.

I am personally more aligned with my excommunicated friend trying to find place a purpose.

Also to consider - children do not completely develop logic and reasoning abilities until they are 25. But we are implanting memories. If church is a relatively unpleasant experience garnering criticism - they will mostly have implanted for many years to come those unpleasant memories. Research conducted by the church indicates that children that learn to enjoy church during the ages 12 -15 are most likely to serve missions and stay active.

It is my personal belief that the concept of enjoyment at this critical age of beginning teenagers is not so much entertainment as it is a feeling of accomplishment and acceptance.

As a side note - anatess - it is my impression that you are a unusually successful parent and that your children enjoy spending time with you as much as with their friends. I do not think that is because of your sacrament games but because such things are extensions of other things going on in your home. That such things are the rule rather than the exception and that is why those "church" things work so well for you.

The Traveler

First of all, thank you for the compliment. Of course, in lds.net I like telling you stuff about the good times... there are bad times as well, a lot of which I don't mention here unless it may have some value to somebody going through the same stuff. So, the jury is still out on that "successful parent". Yeah, my children are still at the age where they prefer to be with their parents than with their friends... but, our house is also this "open house to kids' friends" house so my kids' friends are always afoot. None of my kids' church friends go to their school, so they look forward to church (Sunday, Scouts, activities, etc.) so they can see all their friends that they don't regularly see on school days.

I don't disagree with much of what you said. I just have a different approach. I guess it stems from my upbringing. My parents are very strict with Church attendance - we were to dress nice, sit still, look forward, be quiet, respond as appropriate, and listen to the priest's sermon. And growing up in Catholic schools, there's usually a test on Monday's Religious Ed class on what the gospel was about the past Sunday.

So, we used to have the bag of stuff for Sacrament meeting - "Jesus Puzzles" (50-piece puzzles of LDS pictures with Christ on them), Book of Mormon action figures (which gets sequestered if they add sound effects), Scripture coloring books, etc. They "graduate" out of the Sacrament meeting bag the day they got baptized. It was part of their baptism preparation. They now get to listen to the talks like the "big boys" and sing the hymns. They got their own mini hymnbooks with their scriptures at baptism.

My 11-year-old is almost ready to pass the sacrament! That's another milestone! Boy, do I feel old....