These crying children threads can be very disturbing.
We don’t get a slew of threads in the fall and winter complaining about all the old and sick people, when the incessant coughing sounds like a post modern symphony. “You know, they should really be at home, because you don’t have an obligation to attend when they are sick.” /sarc. Of course when you have had bronchitis, walking pneumonia, or just a nasty cold, and you aren’t contagious anymore, but have the lingering cough, you still want to attend Mass, even though your coughing might distract some of the people at Mass.
It is similar with children. They all can’t help their noises, movement, and cries. My youngest slipping off the kneeler on Sunday and burst into tears. Luckily it was during a song, and I was able to get her mostly quiet before it ended. But, unfortunately for me, my husband is now working weekends, and if I am going to do my duty to my eldest child who is now seven, and bring him to Mass, I also have to bring his three younger siblings, by myself. My husband finds time to go in the evening on Sunday, but would be during the children’s bedtimes, and believe me, tired children at Mass is no fun, for anyone. So if we traded off Mass times, we would only get to go every other weekend. Yes, technically you are dispensed from attending Mass if you are caring for young children (this often happens for us, on Holy Day’s of Obligation, between work and children’s bedtimes). But just like when you have that lingering cough, you still desire to go to Mass.
Hauling children to Mass and making sure they behave during Mass, is a big chore. It would be so easy to just stay home, sleep in, or make a nice Sunday brunch. I am sure my children are a distraction to some people, at least some of the time. But it is important to me to have my children experience the Mass, My littlest, who is not quite two, tries to sing along with the hymns, and prays along at the Our Father, and some of the other responses. When the bells ring, she points at the host and says “Jesus.” My eldest, (who was really good at Mass as a baby), admires the altar servers and is eager to receive his first Holy Communion next year. He is so familiar with the Mass that he often reenacts it at home with his toys. And my three year old girl can sing the Gloria, and often does in the van.
