Rudeness in church

[KCT]

Because some parents think that everyone else finds their kids as cute as they do?

 

[stuart12]

As someone mentioned a dog, it brought back a funny memory.

I was at a EF Mass a while back and a blind woman came in with her guide dog. She went near the front and sat down and the dog lay down on the floor (without any movement or noise for the rest of the Mass), and it got up of its own when the priest chanted ‘Ita Missa Est’

 

[Monica37]

I am the mother of a 5 year old boy. An extremely active boy. I have worked very hard to get him to behave anywhere. We attended a TLM in Tx, a very small chapel with no cry room which meant that I had to take him outside every time he acted up. That usually meant that I was outside for at least 3/4 of the Mass. He would continue to scream and throw a temper tantrum outside that could be heard inside (my daughter let me know). My priest insisted that my son come to Mass every Sunday (I appreciate that very much actually). Others have suggested sitting in the front, I have tried this, but what happens is that now the disruptions of taking him out kicking and screaming (because he knows he’s in for it when we leave that pew) are all the way down the church, not to mention trying to get out of a pew when you are in the middle (which I try never to be). He can be heard from the cry room, and the bathroom. Some people gave me very negative looks and others were very generous and supportive (most especially my priest). It has been a tremendous struggle but he has started to act up a little less. Please say a prayer for these parents. We sit in the back and on the end of the pew in order to make as little of a distraction as possible. Sometimes we also let some things go, because it is an improvement over what they used to be like. My son was sitting on the back of the pew in front of us once during Communion. I was not recieving and was kneeling. He wanted me to hold him at the same time. Often when I’m kneeling and he wants me to hold him I’ll put him on the back of the pew in front of me because, well just try holding a child while kneeling. You will go into muscle fatigue fairly quickly. Anyway, this was keeping him quiet and satisfied. A man walked down the isle and told my son in a harsh tone to get off that pew. He had no idea where we had come from to get to where we were at that moment. Comments like this can be extrememly deflating when you are trying so hard to make any improvements. Certainly, my son will not be sitting on the back of the pew when he’s a teenager, but we must try to remember that it is a process and for some kids a longer process than others. I won’t even go into what it was like with my cognitively disabled daughter years ago!
Just my simple request to not judge too harshly when it comes to the kids. We don’t really know what it’s like for these parents. They may be silently praying “Lord please don’t let me hurt this child”, a prayer that we should definitely let them finish!

 

[cathguy]

As someone mentioned a dog, it brought back a funny memory.

I was at a EF Mass a while back and a blind woman came in with her guide dog. She went near the front and sat down and the dog lay down on the floor (without any movement or noise for the rest of the Mass), and it got up of its own when the priest chanted ‘Ita Missa Est’

That is a very cute story. Thanks for sharing it.