Catholic services; does anyone else dislike the way children are not tolerated in the main church any more?

[Monkeyandanimal]

I moved back to the UK after a 5 year absence both from the country and from going to church. I am trying to choose a church in the area, but I am irritated by this new-ish attitude to children in church. In my day, children were taught to be quiet during the service, and taken out if they were being naughty. Now it seems they are unwelcome! They are taken out to do drawings and stories during the readings, gospel and sermon. I do not want to send my children out, i want them to learn to be good in the main church; but I don't dare bring them and let them sit in just in case they are too noisy and we get disapproving looks! Is it just me?

I actually think the children's liturgy is a really good idea. They don't just do random drawing and stories, they hear the same gospel story as the adults but in a much more child friendly way, whilst their parents get to listen to their part of the service without having to worry about keeping their kids quiet. The children are brought back in for the Eucharist.

Rather than sitting bored for an hour, they get to sit with friends, ask questions, and learn that church can be a fun, interesting place.

As a kid I really hated going to church, it was boring, long and most of it I didn't understand, I wish children's liturgy had been around then.

I think children's liturgy is great too. My children learnt lots (so did I when I used to take them in when they were little) and I think they are much better served than being quiet listening to the adult sermon. Its obvious when they come back that they have studied the same as us.

In our church nobody would frown on children staying in, even if they weren't completely silent. Most of the children wouldn't be impressed if they didn't get to go though.

I guess it is just me then! I just want to be together with my children, I don't really like the idea of them going off with people I don't know at all!

Can you not go with them? Lots of parents do at our church.

They're always looking for volunteers to help with the children's liturgy.
The whole idea is making the service more accessible to children and is therefore showing more tolerance, not less.

Doesn't it depend on the church? My friend's church it's everyone in together as it was when I was growing up - no separate thing for children.

Maybe look at some different churches you might find one that suits you better.

PS I found church utterly grim while I was growing up while my CofE DH enjoyed his due to "Sunday School" - I think there is something to be said for something separate for the children personally. Especially when they are old enough to go on their own so the parent/s left can concentrate on the service properly rather than their children's demands/behaviour/fidgeting/whatever.

This separation doesn't happen in the chapel I go to.

Children's liturgy isn't compulsory. I was always a bit ambivalent about it when my dc were younger, as a child the gospel and homily were my favourite bit of Mass, as it is the easiest to understand when you are very young (this was when I was about 4 or 5).
When my dc were young I wasn't sure I really liked them being excluded (my words - no one elses) so I got involved in running Children's Liturgy to find out what it was all about. It wasn't just drawing pictures and telling stories, they had a simplified liturgy - with a sorry prayer (equivalent of penitential rite), and then a simplified version of the Gospel story, and them some discussion, with some crafty work, that helped them understand which played the role of the homily. By the time my children were being prepared for first communion at 7 they already had a better idea of the structure of Mass through Children's Liturgy than I had done at that stage. We were lucky in our parish that Children's Liturgy was only once a month which fitted my ambivalent feelings towards it.

I'm sure people don't mind if your children stay in the church, I love the sound of toddlers, it makes the place feel alive.

The childrens liturgy is brilliant. It puts todays gospel into lamens yerm for the kids and me

My 4 year old dd1 loves the liturgy. I go with dd1 as shes nursery and I really enjoy it too.

My dd2 is 2 and I dont take her to mass. She has been twice and screamed all the way through. She was really scared of the singing and almost shot through the roof when the agnus dei was sung. So im not taking her back until shes a bit older and understands abit better that its a safe place not scary

But dd2 amd I go every sunday. childrens liturgy is on most sundays at our church.