At What Age Did Your Parents Regularly Take You to Mass?

[Brain]

form birth.(well 10 days after birth. my mom had c-sections and so couldnt get up for a while. and she wouldnt let any of us out of the house as babies until we were baptized. So after the hospital, my first trip was to church.

 

[rayne89]

JGheen:

Children are obligate to attend mass when they reach the “age of reason”; basically, when they have some concept of right & wrong and what is going on in the world around them. This is generally accepted to be around the age of 7.

Before this point, it makes no spiritual difference to their souls if they are in church or not. I know some people love to show how their 3 year old knows to bow or say “Jesus”. But I do not believe it has a real impact on their spiritual formation. (This is my personal opinion.)

Ideally, children under 7 would be left home because (again in my opinion) they are a major distraction to their parents and the congregation at large. However, this is not always an option for parents, so unruly children in mass should be treated with love. The same goes doubly true for their parents!

Many churches have established nurseries or “Sunday school” for young children during popular masses. I highly encourage parents to use these services! By not taking your extremely young children to mass, you remove the temptation to focus on something other then God.

It also makes mass seem like a “grown-up” activity to your children. Anyone who knows children knows that they can’t wait to do “grown-up” activities. By creating a waiting period and sense of expectation to attend mass, you physiologically make the experience more desirable and attractive to children.

I really have to disagree here. Children that are disruptive at Mass should probably go more frequenty. When my daughter was about 3 I started taking her to daily Mass whenever possible. I couldn’t believe the change that came about in a matter of weeks. She had become accustomed to Mass and sitting quietly.

I think you don’t give children enough credit as far as spirituality is concerned. We have taken our daughter to Mass since she was infant. And when our previous parish had the children exit during the Mass for children’s liturgy of the word she didn’t go. She was the one that said she didn’t want to go. I definately do not think children should see Mass as a grown up activity, but as a family activity. Just my opinion.

 

[shannin]

My earliest memories of going to Church would be when I was approx. 3 or 4 years old.

 

[Paris_Blues]

I started going to Mass at age 20 on my own!!!

 

[Michael038]

My Father started taking me when I was 6. My Mother never did, and she still doesnt go to Church. I’m trying real hard to get her to go.

Peace

 

[jrabs]

WILKM:

I’m a cradle Catholic and can never remember not going to Mass as my parents took me from an infant.

me too. And I have taken my kids as infants as well.

 

[MarkInOregon]

JGheen:

Ideally, children under 7 would be left home because (again in my opinion) they are a major distraction to their parents and the congregation at large. However, this is not always an option for parents, so unruly children in mass should be treated with love. The same goes doubly true for their parents!

Many churches have established nurseries or “Sunday school” for young children during popular masses. I highly encourage parents to use these services! By not taking your extremely young children to mass, you remove the temptation to focus on something other then God.

I could not disagree more. I would encourage parents not to use these nurseries.
When the Apostles tried to stop the children from coming to him what did Jesus say? Didn’t he say Let the Children come? Why would we want to stop them from coming to him in the Mass? I don’t remember reading about nurseries or cry rooms at the sermon on the mount.
Sure the children can be distracting but the means I am not focusing enough–and then the children remind me of the wonders of Gods creation and all the more reason to praise him. The Mass is our Churches community worship–it is not our private worship or even our adult worship–it is our communities worship and our community includes the children.
I went to Mass as an infant and my children have too and I have found it amazing just what the little ones pick up at Mass–the questions they ask–when you think they aren’t paying attentiion. Plus they learn to sit still, all the rituals and prayers and these are things that can be problematic if they start at the age of reason.
Finally–as adults–I think we need to learn a little patience and accept all parishioners–all of us with all our warts and problems. I know when I hear the little children I am reminded of the greatness of Gods creation and all the more reason to praise him and I find that the little ones can teach us a lot with there total willing love and acceptance–of all parishioners–if we have eyes to see and ears to hear.

Peace of Christ,
Mark

 

[aixia]

My parents took all of us kids as babies. I don’t remember the church in the town I was born in since we moved when I was only 3, but the church we went to after that had a cry room my parents used occasionally. The vast majority of the time though, we were right there, in the pews, sometimes with a book or a doll, but usually just paying attention. CCD classes were after Mass, and since ours started at 3 years old, there was really no reason not to take small children.

 

[hilde_the_dog]

“Teach a child a way that they should go and they will not depart from it…”

Hey, maybe there IS something to that!

I always thought it was “teach a child in the way they should grow and **when they grow old ** they will not depart from it”. That always made me appreciate the prodigal son parable and my life.