Monday, December 7, 2009

Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy

I have found that attending church with young children often leaves me wondering things like : Why do I do this? Where was the spiritual nourishment? Where were the quiet, reverent m0ments of introspection? My calling in our ward as the sunbeam teacher for Dallas's class hasn't helped answer these questions either. Take last Sunday for example.
Brooklyn is producing enough snot to cover her face and clearly won't be going to nursery, but we decide to load everyone up in the car and go sacrament meeting as a family and then Dave will take the girls home afterwards since I need to stay for primary. Dave buckles the girls in the car as I run around the house franticly grabbing snacks, diapers, wipes, blankies, things for my lesson, etc. I get in the van, Dave gets in his car and we head off.
Upon arriving at church and unbuckling the girls, I notice Dallas doesn't have his shoes on and ask him where his shoes are. "I couldn't find them." Great. He's kind of passed that age where it is okay to not wear shoes . .I'm pretty sure that's only cute before a kid knows how to walk. However, we're already late to a ward where you can come early and still end up sitting in the hard chairs on the gym floor because there are so many people so I decided he's staying as is. I can't find Dave and eventually start herding the kids in alone. We all meet up happily on the hard chairs on top of the gym floor. No surprize there. The kids are wiggling and whining as they like to do.
The important part of the entire meeting arrives, the Sacrament. The few minutes where everyone is putting their full effort into reverence and the room is pretty quiet as a general rule. Well, Brooklyn takes the box of crayons out and loudly dumps them all over the floor. Good thing she got everyone's attention because the next thing we kn0w, she picks one up and strategically places it between her legs and starts saying "Oh my penis. my penis, my penis " over and over and over in her very high-pitched voice until the teenage girl and her mother sitting next to us are tearing up from laughing so hard, the people in front of us are laughing and others within ear shot are probably condemning us for "teaching" our daughter such things. I am holding Lexi and tell Dave to take her out quickly. Of course we're laughing too because of the choice moment and because I have a tendency to laugh a lot when I am really embarassed. Things went downhill from there and by the end of the meeting, Dave had taken the girls and the shoeless wonder home.
At least I had the sunbeams who spent sharing time, jumping out of their chairs, licking and spitting on each other. They spent their bathroom time on the counter "washing" their hands and in front of the full length mirror teaming up to try and remove the toilet plunger they had stuck there and they spent their hall time fighting over who got to be at the front of the train line I have them walk in. (No, their behavoir isn't always this bad and yes it used to be a whole lot worse before I was put in as their teacher. We do have good days where with a lot of guidance their behavior could be deemed acceptable for church. This just didn't happen to be one of those days).
Revernce? Hardly. Nourishment? only physical as I ate snacks with them in class. Introspection? Only as to how many more kids I want to birth. (haha) Why? You tell me.

9 comments:

Lachelle said...

Oh man!! I'm planning on having peaceful Sundays again in about 20 years.

Sarah said...

Oh Bri! I can totally relate!! Days like those are the worst! I have to say that I got a good chuckle out of Brooklyn's antics. Why does it always have to be the times that are most quiet that they choose to be the most inappropriate? From time to time I ask myself all of those same questions. Oh and by the way,I love you're writing style, you tell a good story!

The Campbell Clan said...

I cried laughing Bri! What a Sunday! I can only imagine and it makes me laugh/cry just thinking of the day for you. I have asked those questions too and I only have two irreverent children so far. You are doing great at being consistent. Thanks for the great story and your honesty. It's true we can never really be embarrassed again after having children.

Elizabeth said...

Hi Bri, I'm a lurker and I just wanted to say I love these stories about family life! We have all had those moments when the kids say inappropriate things ... I'm pretty sure you wont forget that one in a hurry.
Thanks for sharing

kelsey said...

I'm pretty sure it should be against the law for you to be in primary at all until your kids are grown. It just seems cruel.

Jenna said...

I'm with Kelsey. You should be somewhere like YW, RS, ward activities...something where you don't have you can take a break from kids since you're home with them all day. But that outburst from Brooklyn is hilarious. Can't wait to see you...about a month away!!!

Gibson Family said...

I am so sorry i had to laugh while reading this. Not just because it was funny but because I truely feel your pain.

ribbij said...

Must admit that is hilarious.

Erin said...

That is hilarious!! Don't you love how kids pick the quietest time to do something drastic. That's when Grant usually starts to shout "But I don't want to whisper!!"