JGheen:
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.)
I’m not sure, but I would be inclined to disagree… It seems to me that attendance at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass would actually be beneficial to their souls, although if the Church teaches otherwise, I will of course yield to her authority. But if the world is sanctified by the Mass, why not children standing before it?
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!
Again, I disagree, this time wholeheartedly. One, who will the children who stay at home be left with? A babysitter? Would you really want to leave your children in somebody else’s hands unless it’s absolutely necessary? And two, this seems to me like breaking up the family. Why would you want to foster an attitude of, okay, you go here, I go here? Shouldn’t the family go to Mass as ONE?
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.
As you can tell, I would not encourage parents from taking the kids out of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass (I’m just giving the long name to stress its importance) and into a place away from the Real Presence. I guess your point about removing the distractions is good, but couldn’t we find a compromise and use the “crying rooms” (you know the ones, at the back of the church with the large glass window) just during the time when the child is acting up?
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.
This seems odd to me… Do we really want to play psychological games with children unless it’s absolutely necessary for their education and well-being? Shouldn’t we, instead of creating a false sense of exclusion from something that should be for the entire family just to make it feel like a rite-of-passage, be encouraging them to feel as if they are wanted? As if they are an integral and important part of the faith, which they are, being baptized Catholics? As if the faith is an essential part of their lives that is with them “from the cradle to the grave”?
would not let them have a nursery at my old parish b/c he said that the kids should be there w/ the parents - even the babies. He always spoke w/ each child after Mass and would ask them if they prayed or talked to Jesus during Mass & the moms would say, “Yeah, didn’t you hear them?” LOL He always said that was how they praised God.
