I started to bring my children to church from when they were babies. I had been away from the church for a long time, but when I had children I wanted them to be brought up in the same faith that I was. This drew me back to attending Mass again and I am so grateful that it did.
It isn’t easy to bring very young children to a service/mass as you can’t reason with them and you don’t want to make the experience unpleasant for them by constantly telling them off. I tried to distract them with books (there are lots of great books out there about the Bible suitable for children of all ages) and when they were very small, with a bottle of juice or some raisins. You have to strike a balance between their needs and the people around you. Most people do understand when you have a noisy child and they are sympathetic as they have probably been through it themselves. Don’t let the thought of disturbing others put you off coming to Church with your children – God wants all of us there no matter what the age.
Attending church every week should be part of their upbringing if you want them to also practice the same faith and develop their own relationship with God. Mixing with other children who are also of the same faith helps and many churches run groups and also have schools that are affiliated to them. It is never too young to start. They can’t make the choice to believe when they are adults easily because what can they base it on? Not all schools teach religious education well and it is also more difficult if they don’t know anything about attending a service.
I remembered speaking to another mother at school and she said that she didn’t bring her children because she was afraid they would be noisy and disturb the Mass. It is a great shame because I know it can be annoying to hear a sudden burst of screams so that you can’t hear the service but usually if the children are taken outside for a little while, they do calm down and you can return. It is worth persevering.
I remember being told off on a couple of occasions when my toddler got away from me – don’t let it put you off. Forgive them and continue on: it’s not for them to judge you.
Matthew 19:14
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
God bless you and your children,
Widows Mote 