Young Kids at Daily Mass

  • Thread starter Thread starter Honour
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
H

Honour

Guest
I am about to be on maternity leave for about 2 1/2 months. I had a thought that this means that I would be able to attend daily mass at my church with my daughters once the newborn was ready to be out and about.

I went on Friday to check it out, and there were about 25 people, and only one kid. It was so quiet in there you could literally hear every little sound she made. She was about 6-7 and certainly not the best mass behavior I’ve seen from that age, but nothing that really would have been too noticeable in a bigger louder Sunday mass apart from the people sitting behind her.

It made me really wonder about attempting to take a two year old and a 2 week old (and for the month of September, my 5 year old part-timer. Would we be too distracting in this super quiet setting? My two-year-old does pretty well most of the time. She colors and does stickers, sings, and is sometimes kinda squirmy or chatty. I can just imagine every little noise they made echoing through the church and ringing in people’s ears. I would love to attend mass, but I am worried it would detract from everyone else’s experience?

Does anyone (parents or others without kids with them) have any thoughts or experiences to share about kids at small masses?

If it makes a difference, I am not yet Catholic, so not receiving Eucharist.
 
In my experience, daily Mass people are quite willing to help parents out when they bring their children to Mass, and very often half or more of them are exactly the same people every day–I mean, a large fraction really go daily, and know everyone else who comes with any regularity at all. Generally speaking, they love children who go to Mass every day.

If you start going now, I don’t doubt that you’ll make friends with some people who will help you handle your children when you have two of them to juggle! By all means, introduce yourself after Mass to someone who looks outgoing. That person will probably be able to help you find a baby-lover who will give you a hand when your little ones get to be too much of a handful.

Talk to the priest, too. Many of them will encourage the parents of young children to sit near the front, because the children do not act out as much when they can see what is going on.
 
I loved daily Mass for my son when he was young.

It is shorter than Sunday Mass.

It isn’t as crowded.

And if I had to leave, I didn’t miss my “obligation.”

Yes, everyone can hear everything. But I have found that daily Mass goers are much more understanding. 👍
 
GRACE for all - even children and infants! I love seeing children at weekday Masses!
 
Matthew 19:14
but Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
Click to expand...
 
and remember, mass is usually shorter, too-less time for them to get bored! And they can HEAR the priest/people responding, not getting lost in ambient noise, as often happens in sunday mass.
 
PaulfromIowa said:
Matthew 19:14 : but Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
Click to expand...
👍

We had a priest that in his homily said that he loved to hear the babies crying in Church during the Mass… the sound of Life and a witness to the Sacrifice of the parents for their child.
He then quoted that very passage from scripture.
 
I haven’t taken my kids to a daily Mass, but I did take the whole family to a very small parish with a very small church on a day when attendance wasn’t the best and our youngest ones were not in the mood to be at Mass. Every noise they made–and there were lots of them–got us a good number of turned heads and uncharitable stares. Even the priest gave us a couple. We took the little ones out and took turns going back and sitting with our older girls. Even that got us dirty looks. It was one of the few times I ever left before the priest left the altar.

That being said, I don’t think the regular crowd at our parish’s daily Masses would be as upset if I brought the little ones. I’ve even considered taking our older girls before school occasionally after school starts up again.
 
Take your kids; don’t do what I did…

When my son was about 1.5-2, I decided to take him to daily Mass. He wasn’t stone quiet, but wasn’t loud/disruptive, either. An elderly woman sitting in front of us turned around and rudely said “I can’t hear!” I was already self-conscious about bringing my son, but that did it for me…I didn’t bring him to another Mass (daily or Sunday, with the exception of Christmas and Easter) until he was 5.

I should never have let that comment bother me…
 
pamnbam said:
Take your kids; don’t do what I did…

When my son was about 1.5-2, I decided to take him to daily Mass. He wasn’t stone quiet, but wasn’t loud/disruptive, either. An elderly woman sitting in front of us turned around and rudely said “I can’t hear!” I was already self-conscious about bringing my son, but that did it for me…I didn’t bring him to another Mass (daily or Sunday, with the exception of Christmas and Easter) until he was 5.

I should never have let that comment bother me…
Click to expand...
  • I can understand why you felt that way! And, yes she may have been a tad rude… I would have responded, “and peace be with you!” Allways kill’em with kindness and love in the heart. 😃
  • We’re blessed with a parish that most people are very tolerant of the kids. Most of them know how hard it was for us to conceive them, and for our youngest, what a blessig he is… and we have well over 1200 families in the parish (and I know I’m under counting). Ofcourse, it helps that our Pastor and Asoc. Pastor quite regularly give out a special blessing for the families, Moms, Dads, etc… or we are included in the prayer intentions… (and for our Families, especially the children of our parish, we pray to the lord!)
  • How are the kids supposed to learn how to behave at Mass unless you take them?
    :confused: My three year olds will at least stand during the parts we kneel, they bless themselves, and so forth. They even try to say some of the prayers now too! We feed the baby right before mass starts and so forth. Even then, we do sit where we’re close to the side exit for those days that they are a bit owlly as the youngest was at this past Easter Vigil. We had to take the youngest out because it was so hot in the Church. We had dozens of the people there after Mass asking if he was OK and reassuring us that it was OK to bring him and gave us all sorts of hugs (the grandmas and the grandpas a slap on the back for me and “been there done that grin”
I hope your parish has such tolerance!
 
Daily Mass in my parish is held in a separate small chapel attached to the church and there are usually about 35- 40 people in attendance for each Mass (there are two Masses every day). It is mostly elderly retired people and very, very quiet. Many come early and say their morning prayers, read scripture, pray the Rosary, etc.

I have never seen an infant or child at daily Mass, I don’t know why, (although I don’t go every day). The people are not mean or nasty, and the priests like kids and we have a school, but I think in my parish children would be a distraction if they were brought early, since it seems before Mass is morning prayer time for most of them. I don’t know if there would be complaints or not from the parishoners. Sometimes, I guess, you just have to test the waters.
 
Please do take your children to weekday Mass. You and your children have every right to be there. It isn’t an exclusive club for certain parishioners. God wants you and your children there so it doesn’t matter what others want. If they’re disturbed by your children then they shouldn’t be bothered and really shouldn’t give you looks or make comments. Going to Mass shouldn’t be about them; it’s about worshipping God. If God’s happy for them to be there the wishes of others are immaterial.🙂
 
Bergon said:
Please do take your children to weekday Mass. You and your children have every right to be there. It isn’t an exclusive club for certain parishioners. God wants you and your children there so it doesn’t matter what others want. If they’re disturbed by your children then they shouldn’t be bothered and really shouldn’t give you looks or make comments. Going to Mass shouldn’t be about them; it’s about worshipping God. If God’s happy for them to be there the wishes of others are immaterial.🙂
Click to expand...
👍
 
Try it once, and see what it’s like. The “dynamic” in every parish is different.
 
BaltoCatechist said:
Try it once, and see what it’s like. The “dynamic” in every parish is different.
Click to expand...
This is true. It should also not be assumed that monasteries and convents wouldn’t be pleased to have children at daily Mass. It just depends on the place.
 
I mainly see youngsters at Daily Masses in the summertime. I do not mind young ones at Mass regardless of the day of the week as Jesus reminded us we must have faith like children.

I will not forget seeing 2 young boys assisting as altar servers at an EF Mass, and both were just past 1st Communion age (no older than 10). After Mass, their father was talking to a few others when his 4 sons (age range from 8 to 17 ) came up to him who were serving together, and I praised them all for their work as it was an All Souls Requiem Mass in the presence of their father.
 
Gordon_Sims said:
I haven’t taken my kids to a daily Mass, but I did take the whole family to a very small parish with a very small church on a day when attendance wasn’t the best and our youngest ones were not in the mood to be at Mass. Every noise they made–and there were lots of them–got us a good number of turned heads and uncharitable stares. Even the priest gave us a couple. We took the little ones out and took turns going back and sitting with our older girls. Even that got us dirty looks. It was one of the few times I ever left before the priest left the altar.
Click to expand...
I notice that at Spanish Masses there seem to be a lot of kids. I’m not asking you to check it out necessarily but wanted you to know the attitude you witnessed is not universal.
 
What you are wanting to do takes alot of guts especially considering how young of family you have. I wish more women did that. We seriously need to start planting seeds in our children as young ages. Children are always a blessing and it will do the congregation some good to see them especially such a young baby.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top