I started out talking about why family time is important and age segregation in the church. Earlier this week I discussed why I keep my children in church with me and gave some suggestions to help your children make it through the service. Today we are finishing the series by covering a few ways you can be a blessing to those who keep their children in the church service.
Jesus loves the little children. We can make them welcome and parents not feel bad for having a squirmy toddler sitting next to them. How much better to make those with children in the service feel accepted and supported rather than exiled and uncomfortable.
(I am fortunate to be a part of a church family where many people love my children and offer to hold and entertain them and say kind things, even when my toddler is throwing a fit.)
How To Be A Blessing to Those With Children in the Service
- Give them a smile.
- Leave seats in the back and end of rows for families to sit. (Having an easy exit if a child gets too loud makes our lives much less stressful).
- Say something kind and encouraging to the parent and child
- For the Church: Welcome children from the pulpit and in your written communications. (Don’t only publicize children’s programs)
- Offer to hold a baby or help with a toddler (especially when a spouse is missing) but don’t be pushy about it. Sometimes we might need it and other times it’s easier to manage our kids on our own.
How have people been a blessing to you as you’ve had your children in church?
Linked up to Mommy Brain Mixer, Fellowship Friday, Essential Fridays, Welcome Home Wednesday, Mama Moments Monday, Babies and Beyond
There are a few people in our church who’ve said they love seeing our girls, that they are so cute and well-behaved during church. However, I often spend my time in church trying not to make eye contact with anyone; focusing on my children, the hymnal, the priest and so avoiding any judgemental looks. I often want to slip out quickly after so that no one can tell me my girls were too loud or shouldn’t eat during church or shouldn’t… it’s hard to be a parent at church. Kids are wiggly and active and you do your best to keep them quiet and behaving like adults, but they aren’t adults and won’t behave that way!!! So THANK YOU for this post, and I hope it inspires many to give us parents some grace.
Oh my goodness, yes! I have those days when I have to slip out because my 2 1/2 year old is being a pill. I get the trying not to look at any people because I know there will be heads turned and following us. It is so hard and worrying about what other people are thinking or going to say makes it a lot harder! Exactly, they need grace – they are still learning. (Besides, there are still adults and teens that can’t sit through a service.) Thank you for reading and commenting!
Our family has been very blessed when older kids take our little ones under their wing and model good behavior. My 4y old daughter absolutely loves getting attention from 10-17yr old girls.
That is such a great point! I hadn’t thought about that, but you are right my not quite 3 year old also loves it when the girls older than her pay attention to her and let her sit next to them and talk with her.
Are we there to worship the comfort of others, or are we there to worship God our Creator in Christ? Wot is Church for? So we can have a comfortable cathartic time or are we gathered unto God? I think God understands littlies better than we do. While I believe we are doing our children a big favour by teaching them the right behaviour for the right time, and that children more or less ought to learn to honour others and honour special times where they are not allowed to fully express every fleeting emotion, still God understands. If we are in Church to honour God firstly and foremostly then His thoughts about us are supremely important, and the thoughts of others are less important than that. I believe He would have all the age group of each congregation gathered unto Him, for all to receive His gifts and abundant Life to share as He sees fit. In Church, the whole tenor should be that God is honoured above all, and that means that we might have to forego the perfect ambience, in order to get the richer thing of His Life shared among the whole congregation, and shared one to another – from age bump to age 110.
Great thoughts! Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing.