Sunday has arrived and while Patrick's cold is waning, mine seems to just be getting underway. Which means despite wanting to enjoy this last Advent Sunday, I feel a little crabby and worn down. The cold, cold weather outside makes me want to hibernate. With that being said, I have to address an ongoing issue observed by Tom and I at church today: the smorgasbord of snacks and treats that are continuously used to quiet the kids in the cry room. I am not saying there is never a time when a child can't be given something to eat (several times we had to let Patrick finish his milk when we arrived due to running so late for church). But aside from those times, we don't think he will starve by going an hour without cheerios or juice. Today though, was borderline ridiculous. Of the four other families in the cry room, here is the list of food we saw come out:
Cheerios
More Cheerios
Fruit bar
Gummies (really, before 10:00??)
A banana
Milk
Juice
Some sort of cookies
Someone even brought a LUNCHBOX filled with snacks for a 2 1/2 year old!
Okay, maybe I am being too judgemental and it is none of my business, but church shouldn't be breakfast or lunch, right?? Any feedback?
Hopefully I am not going to be struck down from above, and sorry if this has offended anyone who doesn't share my beliefs on the snack issue-it is just one opinion.
I have asked this same question to my friends with kids! They admit, it's pure laziness. :) We don't know what goes on in the cryroom at our parish, but my biggest complaint is the number of TOYS parents bring for their children to play with during Mass. Seriously? Your child needs crayons, a coloring book, action figures, cars, AND books to get through an hour of Mass?!?!
ReplyDeleteChiming in a bit late-- we once tried all of these tricks to "help" the kids behave. More and more, though, we realized all the extras WERE the problem. They distract the kids from the Mass and what is actually going on and being said. We now sit front and center, sans food/toys and the Mass behavior is better than ever. I'm with you C!!
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