is this inappropriate?

[myermay]

Is it a dreadful thing to let you 6 year old take their ds to church whilst we attend a christening?? Admittidly i don't let him bring it out when we go for dinner as i like us all to chat but is it so bad for an hour long christening service provided the sound is turned off? i would normally take him a magazine/toys to keep him quite anyway, so is this acceptable or rude?

Last couple of christenings we have been to the whole lot of us have been invited to come and stand/sit near the font, every thing has been explained and the kids made very welcome.
They have also been very short services. During the last one our 2 yr old got a bit bored and loud towards the end and was taken to other end of church to play with a toy car on the floor, no one batted an eye lid.

And yes, I know it's their, not thier.

I can read and spell because I spent a large part of my childhood reading, not zapping bad guys on a little computer screen.

We'll let you off then.

Mind you althoguh am all for a bit of noise from kids,it is also good to rein em in a bit.
Last time was in church some little monster was striding around the altar with a buttery piece of toast in hand.

Communion toast, I hope

No
Bloody Sunblest.
Numpty mum just grinned and looked around congreagation expecting us to melt.

I frowned and looked at my children then back at hers. Pointedly

That'll be an unruly altar server, moon.

agree with everyone here: why do we now feel that children must be entertained for every single second? And with a computer game, ffs! I hate those ds things with a passion - why does a six year old need one?? I am so happy that my DS's Xmas list consists of Lego and Playmobil.

my dc take regular visits to chapel with dp. they're 2 yr and 1 yr. he only goes armed with a juice for dd and a spare pair of pants for ds as he's potty training.

only time we've taking anything to distract was when we were going to a mass which was folloed directly after by the christening(2.5 hr) and was running into their lunch time so he took some crackers for them to munch if starving.

my dc have learned from a young age to sing(shout and dance) during hymns. and they like the "peace be with you" where everyone shakes hands.

and there's always an old dear willing to pull faces if the lo gets restless. i always aim to sit beside an elderly jovial person who's heard it all before and doesn't mind being entertained by my dc playing bo from behind a prayer booklet. (saves them being bored too )

taking a ds is very very rude. as is books or any other entertainment. whats the point in taking them if not going to watch what happens. i presume there will be a meal/party afterwards. terribly rude to ignore service then let ds scoff the food and enjoy the party.

you dc needs to learn to get good things (like parties) in life. they gotta take the boring bits first.cant all be fun and games.

LOL cornsilk - I think colouring is acceptable in church because it's a nice traditional children's past-time and you would be praised for being a perfect mother for bringing pens and colouring book to keep them quiet but tutted at for bringing a DS. LOL

I rarely take 'entertainment' for my children. I would never even think of taking even paper and pens for a christening .... they should listen and learn ...
DS has a nintendo ds and he plays with it now and again but we don't take it out with us. Well, he did on the long haul flight to England but I think I can be forgiven for that.
I won't have a DVD player in the car either. I kind of see it as life passing you by while you stare at a Disney film and end up missing out on the view. Does that make sense?

I sat through an hour-long church sevice every Sunday throughout my childhood.

That's why I think a DS would be fine.

lol kbear - the felt tips always end up all over the place as well. One week at church a boy came wearing a 'death' mask.
moondog - I can't bear chn wandering about on the altar. Have these mothers got no grip FFS?

Would you expect him to be able to play on his ds during school assembly or the Harvest Festival because he gets bored? Would you be prepared to send a letter in to the Head to that effect? And would you like to watch her face as she reads it...?

The problem is that all the christening guests will know that a child of his age is expected to regularly sit through other people's entertainment with some measure of selfcontrol.

So if you are not prepared to make him do it for them, then you are saying something about their lack of importance in your eyes.

Something that you are probably not prepared to say to his Headteacher.

I think it's rude,we went to a christening in August and the vicar was very tolerant he said the little ones could walk around and make noise as long as it didn't turn into mayhem,and the service went fab as all the parents were chilled from not having the stress of trying to keep little ones quiet,also the service was only half an hour,maybe sit near the back of the church so you can nip out if thats possible.

He should be taking an interest in the christening. It won't hurt him to be bored for a short time.

Seems to me a typical instance of a mother continuing regard her child as a baby, when the rest of the world (teachers, headteachers, other adults) have moved on to seeing him as something rather older and more responsible.

Little ones walking arount the church and making a noise, cute (maybe)- but we are talking of a child who has presumably already been at school for several years. Surely he is not allowed to walk around and make cute noises during the headteacher's address?

I don't see why a kid shouldn't have something to entertain him/her during a christening ceremoney that cannot be of any interest to him/her.On the one or two occasions I've had to go to such things I've usually had a book in my bag for the dull bits and as long as you're not disrupting other people's enjoyment of the performance, why should it matter what you do?

Why can it not be of any interest to him? Dd took a great interest in her cousins' christening when she was 5 and 7. Ds was interested in his second cousin's christening when he was 3.

I think you do a child a disservice by assuming that they won't be interested in joining in communal activities.

a book in your bag for you or for the children?!

I wouldn't mind a bit of colouring if it's a VERY long service, but I would certainly expect any nt 6 year old to be able to sit for an hour - even if they were bored stiff.

A ds would be incredibly rude.

Back in the days when I went to Sunday School we always gathered around the font at a christening time-it was thought to be a treat! We were at Sunday school (our level)so were not expected to be doing other things! I always liked seeing the babies.
When I have been to christenings with my own DCs the vicar/minister/priest has always involved the DCs attending-they haven't been expected to do other things!!

A book for me. I'd pay attention in the relevant bits (ie the friends making vows or whatever) but most of the rest of the guff (I remember a long long long interlude at some wedding where nearly everyone was queuing up for the communion bit) would be a bit dull, so why not read through the praying bits if you do so quietly?

And when you go to a dinner party- do you take a book for the boring parts of the conversation? Surely it can't all interest you?