How to get a child to take a blessing!

[purplemonkeydishwasher]

We've recently started attending mass regularly (should have been going all along but..) so DS is 3 (4 is sept) he's been pretty good so far. but when we go up to communion the priest tries to out his hand on DS;s head to bless him DS dodges it and runs away. (I don't want a blesser!! he says) we;ve told him it's a nice thing but he's adamant that he won't have one. even when i try to say prayers with him at night he says he doesn't want god to bless him and starts to cry.

we can't leave him while we go up for communion. is there a way to get him to realze that being blessed is not bad?

Um how about leaving him alone?

Sounds to me like he's got pretty good instincts....

can you go seperately so that he doesn't have to be left?

(have you checked under his hair for little numbers?)

Or ask the priest not to do it?

Assuming you're going regularly to the same church, I'd have a word with the priest and explain that DS has decided he doesn't want to be blessed at the moment. The priest could always say a blessing without touching his head if it's the touching which bothers him.

I'd certainly avoid pushing a child to accept any touch which they don't want - you might know that the priest touching his head in blessing, or old Aunty wanting a kiss are not harmful, but it's difficult to teach a child that they are in control of their own body and can always say no if they don't want to be touched, while putting pressure on them to accept touches they don't want.

TBH it's not the touching that he objects to. it's the blessing. i've started saying prayers with him at night and he even refuses that (as in "god bless mommy, daddy, DS, DD...") he sceams no and cries!

lol saintepeutetre about the numbers...i have thought of that!

I think for now we have decided to leave him while we go up.

Unless you have a very small congregation surely communion goes on long enough for you to go up separately?

Go up seperately so that he's not left alone.

Is he scared of the priest? My son would receive a blessing from our vicar, but if the assistant priest was there, he'd refuse. On one memorable occasion he got to the front, saw who it was, screamed NOOOOOOOOOOOO! and ran away down the aisle .