I knew parenthood was going to be hard. What I didn't know was that 99% of that difficulty (at least in the toddler years) would be wrapped up into one hour and ten minutes of our weekly church meeting.
During the other 166 hours and 50 minutes of the week, Jackson's penchant for being loud and active is socially acceptable and doesn't elicit the stares of dozens of people.
As hard as I try, I cannot keep him contained during church, let alone still and attentive. Each week I pack snacks, toys, books, etc. I've even tried getting him new toys that he can only play with during church. He goes through all of these things usually within the first ten minutes. Then he wants to call for his Dada on the stand, say "hi" dozens of times to the people sitting around us, throw toys at the kids behind him, roam the walkways, climb the stairs to the stand, spill Cheerios all over and watch me pick them up...I could go on.
At any moment, I could probably count at least a dozen people watching him. I can only imagine that some people are thinking he's cute, others are wondering why I can't keep my kid quiet, and others are just feeling bad for me.
I am no match for this little guy and his endless energy, but I think I've found something that is...
Last Sunday, as I was packing Jackson's snacks, (which usually consist of dried fruit, Nutrigrain bars, and and Cheerios)I decided to pack up some of these delicious Nutter Butter Bites, just in case I reached the end of my rope with him. I did.
These made him an angel for at least a half an hour. Thank you, Nutter Butter Bites. You will be a staple in my Sunday bag from now on. Go ahead and judge. What kind of parent feeds their kid cookies at 10:00 AM anyway??
Oh I TOTALLY understand. My son is not a sit down and watch tv type of kid. He's a mover! This make sacrament meeting super difficult....and then throw in the fact that I'm ward chorister. My husband has to handle both kids when I'm up there. We have definitely gone the nutterbutter route, and the mini oreos, and the teddy grahams. I want to start building quiet books that I can add pages to, so he has something new to explore. Good luck!!
ReplyDeleteHa ha ha. It only gets worse. Siblings come and then they entertain the pews around them AND start fighting. And you have to pretend like you always discipline with a gentle voice and smile. Oh, the joys of small children in sacrament meeting.
ReplyDeleteHey, try not bringing snacks, at all. Let him know beforehand that there isn't anything in the bag. I know, sounds impossible, but I swear it works. Only bring one or 2 toys. There is nothing to scream for. They quickly learn that in sacrament, they can get anything they want if they just make noise. I currently have 2 little ones and changed things up about a year ago. It has made a world of difference...don't expect miracles though, they are still toddlers.
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