Lately, I have been having Adventures in Sacrament Meeting. (The last part of the sentence should be read in a loud booming announcer’s voice.) If you’ve ever been a parent to young children or sat next to someone with young children, you should know what I mean. My adventures are not the kind that I look forward to every Sunday. Each week I go with a fresh resolve that this week isn’t going to be as bad as last week.
It usually starts out calmly enough until we say the opening prayer. Then the adventure begins. My one-year-old wiggles his way out of my lap and begins walking, crawling and climbing his way towards the aisle. Once there he pauses for a moment, and looks up at us with his mischievous grin. And then he’s off at top speed. And he really is fast. I’ve had comments that he’s going to be a running back because he is good at dodging us, as we go after him.
It seems that my four-year-old takes his escape as the cue for her turn to cause some mayhem. She begins to ask to draw, or for a snack, or insists that she needs to go to the restroom. When none of these advances works she begins to climb onto the lap of whichever parent is holding her brother. The game then becomes something similar to hot potato as Rob and I pass the two children back and forth between us.
After Sacrament, we get some paper and crayons out for my daughter, and then my son wants to play as well. He will sit and empty the crayons out one by one. In a few moments he begins to chew on the crayons. Then my husband picks him up, and he begins his tantrum (a recent addition to the adventure). He is taken out. Then his sister begins to ask to be taken out as well.
I know that it is important to keep trying, and eventually things will get better. I do wonder what is going to happen once we are out numbered. But it is worth it. While I may not be getting a lot out of Sacrament meeting right now, I am teaching my kids the importance of attending church each week. I do ask for tolerance from those of you who are lucky enough to sit through a whole meeting. I know that I’m not the only one who struggles with this right now. Do you have any suggestions or funny stories about similar incidences that have happened to you?