Toys in Church???

[PaperClip]

I have been guilty of texting durign service... butits usually to one of my kids that Ive seen out the corner of my eye not doing exactly as I directed them to do... or if my 1 son gets up too many times to go bathroom, water, etc I will text my daughter to say DONT MAKE ME COME OUT OF THIS CHOIR LOFT.....

LOL! Reverse and that's me and my mom when I was in the choir at 12 years old (long before text messaging!)! If she saw me passing a note in the choir or something she would look up and her eyes would burn through my forehead saying "cut that out!"

I have sent texts in church (when church is just about over) to secure a meeting place with someone after church because my church building is kinda big.... And occasionally to crack a joke....

 

[PassionFruit]

That's totally understandable!
I texted my sis the other week. She was on vacation and CECE WINANS was at our church. She missed it and I TOTALLY had to rub it in!

OoOoOoO I know what church you go to... I heard the ads on the radio!!!


Did you hear about the concert at 1st mariner next week?? Fred Hammond, Rickey Dillard & more... I will be singing there.. yall B'More folks should come!!!

 

[crlsweetie912]

OoOoOoO I know what church you go to... I heard the ads on the radio!!!


Did you hear about the concert at 1st mariner next week?? Fred Hammond, Rickey Dillard & more... I will be singing there.. yall B'More folks should come!!!

I knew once I posted that's what you would say!
I love my church. I was the only one that didn't hear it on the radio and I listen to heaven 600 all day every day. OMG you sing?
I want to go to that show soooo bad! But I have to start doing the kids school stuff so I won't be there. DANG! I could have seen one of Nikos' cousins!

 

[PassionFruit]

LOL! Reverse and that's me and my mom when I was in the choir at 12 years old (long before text messaging!)! If she saw me passing a note in the choir or something she would look up and her eyes would burn through my forehead saying "cut that out!"

I have sent texts in church (when church is just about over) to secure a meeting place with someone after church because my church building is kinda big.... And occasionally to crack a joke....

my fave cousin & I were literally snatched up out of the choir stand ( and made to sit at the foot of the altar for the rest of the svc) at about age 13 for passing notes ( she was alto, Im soprano so it had a ways to travel)... my granddaddy was the pastor and had NO QUALMS about embarrassing us

 

[PassionFruit]

I knew once I posted that's what you would say!
I love my church. I was the only one that didn't hear it on the radio and I listen to heaven 600 all day every day. OMG you sing?
I want to go to that show soooo bad! But I have to start doing the kids school stuff so I won't be there. DANG! I could have seen one of Nikos' cousins!

there will be other opportunities... Im all over the place between the various groups I sing with


I think I have seen Daephae and just dont know it.... we already have determined that she is friends with ym choir director and that I visited her church twice in the last 2 months and her church visited mine about 3 months ago ( though Im not sure if daephae came to my church then)

 

[crlsweetie912]

my fave cousin & I were literally snatched up out of the choir stand ( and made to sit at the foot of the altar for the rest of the svc) at about age 13 for passing notes ( she was alto, Im soprano so it had a ways to travel)... my granddaddy was the pastor and had NO QUALMS about embarrassing us

OMG! CLASSIC!
Our parents didn't play when it came to church!
I remember one time I was Ushering so I was all over the place, and my son got in trouble at Sunday school. They found my Mom and told her, by the time service was over, she had taken him in one of the rooms and whupped his behind. She said "You don't have to do anything, I already GOT him!"
I was laughing so hard!

 

[LivingDoll]

there will be other opportunities... Im all over the place between the various groups I sing with


I think I have seen Daephae and just dont know it.... we already have determined that she is friends with ym choir director and that I visited her church twice in the last 2 months and her church visited mine about 3 months ago ( though Im not sure if daephae came to my church then)

nope, i didn't come...although he's been tryna get me to come for years!

 

[poookie]

i loved children's church. they always had snacks

but by the time my mother started making us go to church (wasn't until i was 9), i was too old to bring game boys, and little video games. but i was very mature for my age, and had no problem sitting up in the sanctuary with the adults.

my younger sister just went to sleep, and my younger brother was allowed a game boy, because if he didn't have one, he'd just sit there, flap his arms, and jump up and down on the pews. (he is mildly autistic, but it was more severe when he was younger).

i do think it's extremely disrespectful, though.

 

[HeChangedMyName]

I am an usher, and I could fill this thread with the things I have seen parents allow their children to do in church. One mom was making a BOTTLE for her daughter IN THE SANTUARY with Powdered Milk. That mess was everywhere.


I have seen teens in church texting each other. That stuff gets confiscated by security, or we get their parents. SMH We shouldn't have to tell a 15 or 16 year old that it isn't right to text each other during service.

I would rather see a child sleep than be disruptive during the whole service. Then when you tell a parent of a disruptive child about the nursery or children's church they don't want to take them out of the santctuary.

ITA! You would be surprised how people react when you ask them to quiet their children. Everybody that's in the church building isn't saved.
One parent (mind you this child is 19) got mad at an usher because she told her daughter that she would have to use one of our blankets to cover up with because her booty shorts and halter top weren't appropriate attire for the sanctuary.

--fixing a bottle. oh noooooo!!!! she should have had that prepared. church is only a couple of hours, the milk would not have spoiled.


--I had an adult text me from church a couple of times I was like. . . . .erplexed leave me alone and pay attention.

--sleeping children are the best, but after a certain age, you have no business sleeping in church. say anywhere after preschool when you are no longer accustomed to naptime. You should be up and learning. Just my opinion though.

19 years old. No, she didn't. Her and her mom knew better. I've heard it like this. If you think you look hot and sexy in the mirror before you leave for church, then you need to change.

my fave cousin & I were literally snatched up out of the choir stand ( and made to sit at the foot of the altar for the rest of the svc) at about age 13 for passing notes ( she was alto, Im soprano so it had a ways to travel)... my granddaddy was the pastor and had NO QUALMS about embarrassing us

Now that's what I'm talking about. bet y'all didn't try that again.. How long did your friends joke about that?

 

[crlsweetie912]

--fixing a bottle. oh noooooo!!!! she should have had that prepared. church is only a couple of hours, the milk would not have spoiled.


--I had an adult text me from church a couple of times I was like. . . . .erplexed leave me alone and pay attention.

--sleeping children are the best, but after a certain age, you have no business sleeping in church. say anywhere after preschool when you are no longer accustomed to naptime. You should be up and learning. Just my opinion though.

19 years old. No, she didn't. Her and her mom knew better. I've heard it like this. If you think you look hot and sexy in the mirror before you leave for church, then you need to change.





Now that's what I'm talking about. bet y'all didn't try that again.. How long did your friends joke about that?

I think this must be a Baltimore thing. People are too lazy to make a bunch of bottles so they walk around with a can of powdered milk in the baby's bag.

 

[LivingDoll]

I think this must be a Baltimore thing. People are too lazy to make a bunch of bottles so they walk around with a can of powdered milk in the baby's bag.

nah girl...i ain't neva seen that...

 

[SimpleKomplexity]

I just don't get it. I rememer being 4 and staying away during the whole service. My momw ould bring some candy or maybe some gum for me to have in the middle, but I always sat right there with my mother and paid attention the whole service. It was funny because my older brother (he was 15 when I was 4) had to always stand up in church cuz he kept fallin asleep. I was competitive so maybe that's why I stayed up haha.

I knew my books, how to look up scriptures, and my own fave scripture by the time I was 7. I just don't get it why some parents let their children do WHATEVER in church, and then complain their children act up

 

[crlsweetie912]

nah girl...i ain't neva seen that...

For real?
It really makes me mad cause it's like, how can you NOT make bottles for the baby?
Using the same bottle all day just rinsing it out. WTH. My grandmomma would have slapped me silly!
ETA:
I just realized I could write a whole thread on the things I have seen at church...

 

[Xavier]

A Gameboy is one thing but a toy or book for a toddler or young child is resonable. Young children do not have the same attention span as adults. Church can range from anywhere between 1 hour and if it's a black church you maybe looking at 2-3 hours. I can't imagine trying to have my 3 year old sit in complete silience for hours with nothing to occupy him. A teenager playing with games during church is one thing but some of you who have a problem seeing books and action figures even with the little ones.

 

[crlsweetie912]

A Gameboy is one thing but a toy or book for a toddler or young child is resonable. Young children do not have the same attention span as adults. Church can range from anywhere between 1 hour and if it's a black church you maybe looking at 2-3 hours. I can't imagine trying to have my 3 year old sit in complete silience for hours with nothing to occupy him. A teenager playing with games during church is one thing but some of you who have a problem seeing books and action figures even with the little ones.

Nope, books and action figures are appropriate. To me at least, but if you have a child who is being disruptive even with the books and action figures and you don't want to remove them from the sanctuary, that's a problem.
I think it's unrealistic to expect for a 3 year old to sit through a 2-3 hour service and not get antsy.

 

[LivingDoll]

ITA that books and action figures are okay for a toddler or preschooler but once a child reaches grades where there's no naptime in school, it's reasonable to expect that the child can sit attentively and listen without needing to be entertained.

 

[Xavier]

Nope, books and action figures are appropriate. To me at least, but if you have a child who is being disruptive even with the books and action figures and you don't want to remove them from the sanctuary, that's a problem.
I think it's unrealistic to expect for a 3 year old to sit through a 2-3 hour service and not get antsy.

ITA that books and action figures are okay for a toddler or preschooler but once a child reaches grades where there's no naptime in school, it's reasonable to expect that the child can sit attentively and listen without needing to be entertained.

ITA. I didn't read the entire thread. I was hoping that this is how you felt. My son sometimes gets antsy with me in church. I try to sit close to the back or at least in the middle so that I can easily take him to the bathroom if needed.

 

[Farida]

Some churches don't have kids' section or babysitting services. Funny how those tend to be the churches where it is hard enough to pay attention and not be bored as an adult. So the poor children with 5-min attention spans! I think coloring books or those educative kids' coloring bulletins are fine. As long as the child is young and not being disruptive. DH and I babysit 5 kids, and when we began the youngest was one and the oldest 7. We once went to a church with no kids' programs, never again! Now, we go to one that has one, but the youngest kids can barely even sit through the few mins before they are dismissed to their classes.

 

[Evolving78]

i let my son go into the nursery now, but before i would give him his bottle/sippy cup, coloring book, baby toys etc... I used whatever to keep that boy quiet and allow me to worship in some degree.

 

[Evolving78]

I think this must be a Baltimore thing. People are too lazy to make a bunch of bottles so they walk around with a can of powdered milk in the baby's bag.

hey don't talk about me!LOL! i bring about 3 bottles with water in them and i have a container with the powder in it or if i'm pressed for time, i just bring the can. i made a bottle one day and it spilled out into the diaper bag, so i don't pre mix anything anymore.

 

[HeChangedMyName]

hey don't talk about me!LOL! i bring about 3 bottles with water in them and i have a container with the powder in it or if i'm pressed for time, i just bring the can. i made a bottle one day and it spilled out into the diaper bag, so i don't pre mix anything anymore.

I use to do that with my oldes, but when I discovered those little travel packs with just enough power in them for a 4oz bottle. I was in Heaven. I didn't even fill my bottles up. I kept bottled water in the car because we stayed on the go.

 

[auntie gettis]

OMG! CLASSIC!
Our parents didn't play when it came to church!
I remember one time I was Ushering so I was all over the place, and my son got in trouble at Sunday school. They found my Mom and told her, by the time service was over, she had taken him in one of the rooms and whupped his behind. She said "You don't have to do anything, I already GOT him!"
I was laughing so hard!

I know exactly what you're saying. When we were growing, my mother was not having that foolishness at home or at church. On Sundays that she had to sing in the choir, she had all five of us sitting in chronological order on a pew where she could see us. I was the oldest, so I would try to keep the younger ones together. If we were doing something and we caught her left eyebrow go up, your fate was sealed. She took care of business in the church basement because it would have been worse once we got home. I tell me that my mother was not having it...If she were alive today, that would still apply...

 

[akashay7]

My daughter is only 4 and I do allow her to write during church. I have not found a church hm. in the 4yrs. that I have been in GA, so even if there is a children's church or nursey she wouldn't go. I've also visited churches that did not have children's church and a church where you had to sit in the back if you had a child, I politely walked straight out the door. I believe that a child should be taught the seriousness of church but that comes from home also and should be age appropriate. Playing a DS or PSP is definitely out of the question!

 

[LivingDoll]

My daughter is only 4 and I do allow her to write during church. I have not found a church hm. in the 4yrs. that I have been in GA, so even if there is a children's church or nursey she wouldn't go. I've also visited churches that did not have children's church and a church where you had to sit in the back if you had a child, I politely walked straight out the door. I believe that a child should be taught the seriousness of church but that comes from home also and should be age appropriate. Playing a DS or PSP is definitely out of the question!

Oh my goodness...are you serious??? I've never heard of such foolishness!

 

[Angelicus]

I attend a small african church and I usually sit a couple of pews behind the first lady and her daughter (aged 12). One day she had the nerve to bring her NintendoDS to church. I was happy that I didn't see it until after church. But I was upset that her parents let her bring that to church.

One Sunday, I saw the daughter reading a Tabloid/Entertainment magazine in the middle of praise and worship service. Her mom was standing right next to her and did nothing. Not to mention, every week, this little girl does not stand up during praise and worship service.

My blood was boiling! I tapped her to get her to stop reading the magazine and I told her that I would speak with her after church. I told her that church is holy, it's a day set apart for the Lord, not for you to read about Halle Berry and etc.

WHY DO I HAVE TO DO THIS? Why are people so caught up in their "ministries" that they can't even minister to their children!?

 

[Mariaat40]

ITA that books and action figures are okay for a toddler or preschooler but once a child reaches grades where there's no naptime in school, it's reasonable to expect that the child can sit attentively and listen without needing to be entertained.

I have to respectfully disagree with this. Even for elementary aged children they are not expected to sit at their desks at school for an hour and a half or more and listen to the teacher- at least not at a school that structures its curriculum and teaching methodology age appropriately. I have written curriculum for a living for many years and have studied the way people learn pretty extensively and generally speaking that just doesn't work for young children.

In terms of the OP's question, like many other posters said, children's church, where they can learn the Word in an age appropriate setting is the ideal. But barring that I believe that the use of quiet activities (coloring books, other books, action figures, etc.) is completely appropriate.

 

[HeChangedMyName]

I attend a small african church and I usually sit a couple of pews behind the first lady and her daughter (aged 12). One day she had the nerve to bring her NintendoDS to church. I was happy that I didn't see it until after church. But I was upset that her parents let her bring that to church.

One Sunday, I saw the daughter reading a Tabloid/Entertainment magazine in the middle of praise and worship service. Her mom was standing right next to her and did nothing. Not to mention, every week, this little girl does not stand up during praise and worship service.

My blood was boiling! I tapped her to get her to stop reading the magazine and I told her that I would speak with her after church. I told her that church is holy, it's a day set apart for the Lord, not for you to read about Halle Berry and etc.

WHY DO I HAVE TO DO THIS? Why are people so caught up in their "ministries" that they can't even minister to their children!?

WOW!!! That does not speak a lot about the pastor who is supposedly shepherding a group of people when his own child will not submit. I wonder if they realize the seriousness of their own child's actions.