To let my 3yo run around shouting in a church...

[alardi]

Obviously not during a service(!).

Here's the scene:
Fine medieval church in a small market town. Sign on church door that says "The church is open to all visitors". It's market day so many people popping in and out to see the architexture, buy a card, light a candle..

I go in with my 3yo DS who likes to run to the back the church, stopping to talk shout about things on the way, then run back to the front area (near the door), where the children's door is so that he can look at books, play with Noah's Ark toys there, etc. He tends to shout when he speaks at all, so from a stranger's perspective, you could say he's running and shouting...

As he runs back, a sour faced old bat old lady sitting in the pews, stands up and shrieks speaks sternly "Excuse me, this is not a playground!"

So I apologised and left...DS kept asking why we had to leave and I said it was because the miserable old hag old lady didn't like children.

But I haven't set foot in the church since, don't want to cause offense, can't get over the feeling that churches are really only for the old and solemn and miserable, not for lively young children.

Or was I outrageous to ever take my unruly DS in, especially as we are contented, resolute unbelievers? I just felt the church was part of DS's heritage and even if we are slack secularists humanists, I didn't want churches/religion to seem like a foreign culture to DC (hence why we used to visit the church fairly frequently).

Hmm, this living faith thing then. See living implies that it is some kind of plant. Or animal.

But I haven't got any plants or animals in my living room. Or at least not living ones anyway. A few flowers. But they are usually dying in stages in vases.

Is it like a Wii?

Don't worry, quattro - you have your reward in full.

Shouldn't take the p**s out of people's faith

A living room, Quattro? How declasse, I always thought you sounded too posh to have a living room.

What do you sit on in your living room - a settee or a sofa?

A sofa.

ROFLMAO, PIMP, spitting on the screen. Gosh, you ladies are just sooooo amusing. I wish I could have an ounce of your wit.

Don't you mean 28.4 grammes, SqueakyPop - isn't that Imperial stuff all illegal now?

whatever

Squeaky - that wasn't intended to offend, just to be lighthearted - sorry if I failed in that.

I must admit I sympathise with you and I am a churchgoer - I was once with my son when he was a boisterous 2yo at a Carols by Candlelight service in an unfamiliar church (where my mum lives). It was beautiful and moving but I found it hard to keep him quiet during the readings and prayers. It could be that no one else minded (true Christians don't tend to mind!) but there was a woman in front who must have felt I was ruining her experience and she gave me such a dirty look that I just upped and left half way through. It really soured my experience of that church. The church I go to now positively encourages children and there's lots of noise, but everyone is always all smiles. Don't judge every church the same. Jesus wouldn't have said 'This is not a playground'!! (see quote from Balloon Slayer above)

Rose
FWIW
I have no idea of any previous thread.
I have ben simply following and adding to this one.

I have no problem with threads taking a sudden bizarre turn so didn't know there was any context for any ofthe comments as I often slip into the bizarre for no reason myself.

Whatever the thread, whatever the context - I was not trying to refer back to anything and I'm sorry if my comments had dodgy connotations for you
IYSWIM

Teatime-this thread has never been about church services and how welcoming they are for children. This is about taking a DC into a church for a look around and the expectation that a parent might explain the appropriate behaviour so that they don't upset people who have gone in for quiet prayer or reflection at what might be a very difficult time of their lives. It was of very short duration and they could have gone out at any time.

'Jesus wouldn't have said 'This is not a playground'!! (see quote from Balloon Slayer above)'

I am sure that Jesus would have managed to explain, in a kindly way-at child level,consideration for others and why they should walk quietly and whisper rather than run and shout. They could then go out and have a good run and shout outside! (If they had found it difficult they could have left after 2 or 3 minutes).

Agree with Abbey - it's not about a parent taking a child to a service and encouraging them to be quiet but the child being a bit boisterous - it's about taking a child into a church to run around, with no consideration for anyone who might be using the church for quiet prayer, and then calling anyone who complains a 'sour-faced old bag'.

only on mumsnet can you have someone explaining that jesus would always use child appropriate language and distraction techniques folowed by removal.

I parent just like Jesus !

I think I get more than a medal for that don't I?

YABU.

I was assuming that Jesus would be like a good parent!!!

well you would hope so !

PMSL Pagwatch you crack me up

It doesn't matter how you see the church building-treating others with consideration is the most important thing. All this DC needed was a quiet word of explanation before he went in. At that age you could treat it as a game.

Note to other posters OP has chopped and changed her story so much.

one minute she said she went there to have a look with her DS that was running around shouting

Another post says she went there because the playground was wet and wanted her ds to let off Steam

And another one says she went there because her ds wanted to go in there and she walked behind him the whole time.

She also said that he wouldn't have wanted to go in unless he could run and shout, so I really think she needed another venue. At that age I used to take my DS to a cathedral close with lots of wide open space and he used to run and shout-I didn't think of taking him inside to do it. People smiled to see a small DC enjoying himself outside, they wouldn't have had the same reaction inside.

I cant believe how big this thread has got.

Crikey, the 'debate' still rages.

I wonder how many people on this thread even go to church