Adoration and children

[maggie2]

I’ve really been wanting to make it to our parish to spend some time with Jesus present in the Blessed Sacrament, but the only realistic way for me to do this would be to bring at least one of my 3 children, if not more of them!! They are all very young (the youngest is an infant with special health and feeding concerns, so this is why I cannot leave her with anyone else).

I know Jesus said to let the little children come to Him, but I also know that Adoration is a special time that many people use to spend some quiet time with Jesus. What do you think is the best way to approach this? I certainly don’t want to interfere with other’s sacred time in Adoration, but I am also feeling a strong calling to get there myself, and I know the only realistic way it will happen is if I bring at least my infant daughter (who is not always a quiet little angel Plus, I think she could benefit from being in the presence of Jesus during Adoration as well This is another reason I’d love to bring my 2 and 4 year old as well.

What do you think?

 

[Beelieving]

I’m so glad you asked this! I’ve been struggling with the same thing myself. I have a 2 & 4 year old and am expecting our third in June. We’re new to the area, so I don’t know anyone to keep the kids while I go visit Jesus. There’s a church across town that has a glass wall at the back of the adoration chapel separating the main chapel from another sitting area. I’m a little more comfortable taking the kids there, but even then I worry. It’s definitely not my intention to distract others, but I also want to spend time with Jesus and allow my kiddos to as well. At our parish, we only have adoration one day a week and it’s in the church…no where to hide wiggling kids and lots of echos when it’s so empty. I 'm excited to see how others feel about this!

 

[ThomasEugene]

I think one of the apotolates of the Community of St. John is Adoration for Children. childrenofhope.org/

i pray that all children will come to know the excitement of meeting Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament!

 

[D0UBTFIRE]

Well, i’m only the mom of one, a 5 year old, but i too have been wondering about adoration. My daughter will go with me and be pretty quiet, but she generally doesn’t want to sit still, she wants to move about the room a lot. I kinda tried to force her to stay in a seat quietly, but I felt bad because i knew she wasn’t happy with me, and I didn’t want to make this a bad experience for her. There are often not other people in the room, so my concern isn’t so much other people, but just respect for Jesus. Any tips? Should I not worry about her moving around? Or is it a big deal and should I not take her unless she sits quietly???

 

[maggie2]

Gosh - I’m glad that I’m not the only one wondering about this!!

I think I’ve only ever been to Adoration once in my whole life, so that’s why I posted to find out what is really appropriate - my parish offers Adoration once a week, and I’m not really sure how many people actually go…

So far, we just have a bunch of people wondering if it’s okay to bring children! I guess that means that there probably isn’t a set expectation about it. Maybe I’ll just ask my priest to see what he says:thumbsup:

 

[tinalewis]

Hi - I’ve been a frequent adorer at several adoration chapels for several years and also a scheduled adorer at a perpetual adoration chapel for 2 years. I’d like to toss in my 2 cents.

Personally, I think it’s wonderful to bring children to adoration. I wish my parents had had the wisdom to even consider such a thing. 99.9% of the time, I love seeing children in adoration, especially when they imitate their parents by genuflecting and maintiaining a prayerful demeanor (not always possible, of course).

The chapel where I’m a scheduled adorer has the bottom shelf of their bookcase filled with Catholic children’s books. That really helps. Children shouldn’t be expected to meditate by themselves or be unoccupied, plus at the same time they’re learning about the faith. Want your child to be a star in First Communion class? Let them read these books at adoration!

Besides books, stuffed animals are a great comfort to children and are quiet playthings, too.

If I had my druthers, I’d ask that people not bring young children to their scheduled adoration hours where they’re committed to remain with our Lord for the full hour (or sometimes longer is the next adorer is late.) An hour is just too long a period of time for most small children to maintain composure. It’s easier when the age of the child and the weather and location permits the child to go outdoors and play for a while and then come back inside. It’s also easier when tiny babies who nap through most or all of the time. If I had a recommendation to parents, I’d suggest frequent short visits, rather than occasional long visits. Every day or twice a week for 10-15 minutes, for example.

Things which I feel as a regular adorer can cause issues:

too much running around
diapers that need changing
too much noise of any kind (quiet talking is fine, since kids have questions and deserve answers)

But other than these, I think we OWE it to our children as good Catholics to show them Our Lord and to show them how mommy and daddy and older siblings pray. Who knows? We may be cultivating our next priests and consecrated religious by bringing them to adoration regularly all their lives. Or - maybe not. But at least you KNOW that bringing children to adoration is the most positive think you can do for your child. In a time where you can’t drink the water, the soil is polluted, your chicken sandwich is recalled, your car is recalled, etc. isn’t it a comfort to know that the comfort of Our Lord is available to all?