I'm the oldest of a large-ish family. My mom had kids in diapers for 8 years, one year off, and then another 2ish. (I'll blog later about being raised Catholic in the heart of the bible belt...) So obviously, she had very little kids for a number of years (actually, it wasn't until 1995 that we were all in school).
From a very early age, we learned how to sit still for an hour at a time. Church will do that for you. My parents would march us to the front of the church and plop us down in the very front pew. My mom claims now that our front-and-center status was to keep us kids involved in the mass, but I think she actually placed us there to ensure that the 450 eyes on us would peer pressure us into silence. We knew that we had to sit quietly for the duration of mass. (Once we got back into the car...well...that was another story)
So why is it that every time I actually go to church, I always end up getting poked in the back of the head by an overactive four year old, or distracted by a whiny six year old.
Don't think that I'm a psycho child-hating bitter woman. I fully understand that infants cry and toddlers fidgit. But please. There is a cry room for a reason! (For the uninitiated, the cry room is the room at the back of the church with a window to see in and a sound system piping in the priest's words.)
Of course, if any of you can explain to me why it is acceptable for three year olds and older to NOT know how to sit still, please feel free....and I will gladly eat my words (in addition to all the Christmas ham, cookies, and mashed potatoes currently contributing to my holiday gut).
