Do you bring your child to mass/service/worship/rituals?

Kimono-Girl

Quality wrote: »

do you go to mass bring the kids..

Not right now, i am not religious at all but my OH is, he wanted our daughter Christened so i agreed for him (it made no difference, to me its just water on her head and a big party but it meant something more to him)

the deal we have is when we feel she can go sit still and without disrupting everyone we will go to mass,he is hoping by next year she will be ready and then when she is older (post-confirmation) she can choose any religion she wants or none if she chooses like me!

we are giving her the start in religion and she can choose to continue, change or disregard it herself!

Quackles

I have brought them to mass but I don't habitually. I'm going through a bit of a crisis at the moment. I rarely go to mass. I hate handing money to the catholic church in the face of all the horrific things I'm hearing but in particular in their handling of it. I completely disagree with the way they have dealt with the horrific revelations of recent years.

I went to mass yesterday, and the priest stood up on the alter talking about the evils of living together before marriage, homosexuality etc. I swear, I nearly walked out. Why am I aligning myself to an organisation with whom I share so little in my outlook and values? While both of my children are baptised, I was seriously considering not going any further. The only thing that is keeping me there is the fear of exclusion and that they'll feel different from their little friends when communion time rolls around. Not a good enough reason to be involved in the church, but what can you do?

I don't want to cut God out of their lives completely so I wouldn't take them out of the curriculum.. I think for those who do believe in a kind and loving god, its a great comfort, I wish I had blind, unquestioning faith. If something was to happen to my husband or I, I want my kids to feel that we've moved on to heaven and will be together again rather than just think we're gone. I don't want them listening to the views the priest expressed yesterday and thinking I agree with that either, however. It's a toughie.

Dades

My daughter was grudgingly baptised (happy wife - happy life), and my son will be (even more) grudgingly baptised shortly.

I obviously don't go to mass and have always made it clear that I personally won't be a part of bringing them there. Mummy isn't that pushed to bring them either as is more of a "cultural catholic" than anything.

So, no, apart from going to my Granny's memorial mass every June (followed by family gathering), we don't bring them to mass.

Quality

I get the whole, not trying to disrupt thing..

I had the 3 of them yest.. daughter 11 who is great help.. two boys.. 4 and 20 months.. the 4 year old had the money basket on his head for most of the mass

and the baby went for a little walk up to the alter and passed the organ and started pressing buttons on the organ half way through the sermon..

I nearly died.. felt mortified.. but everyone was laughing.

It was a big relief to me when the organ player approached me after and told me that he would have to keep an eye on his job!! i was saying sorry, and he told me what a great mam I was for bringing them all to mass on my own..

very nice thing to hear.. i felt very welcomed!

silja

I'm not Christian, and our services tend to last several hours, so not bringing small kids (mine are 2.5 and 7 months). My husband is Christian- Baptist- but there is no child baptism in his church, so no obligation to bring the kids to church on Sundays. He goes some Sundays, when the house isn't too chaotic, but hasn't brought the kids yet. Once they are older, if they want to go, they are welcome to. We bring our kids up to know the bible, and to love God, no matter what exactly S/He is.

Right now, we live in the US and the older two attend a church based playschool two mornings a week; on Tuesdays, the attend "chapel", but it's basically sitting around thealtarand listening to a simplified bible story. I've no problem with that.

charlemont

i try to keep my boy away from scum so therefore the church is not a good place to bring him as its full of hypocrites and peadophiles and is the biggest criminal organisation in ireland..

Khannie

Charlemont banned for a week.

Next person to use this thread to start abusing any religious organisation gets a hefty, hefty ban. I'm sick of it.

Nevyn

Title of thread edited as we do live in a country where parents bring children to more then just RC mass.

alex73

charlemont wrote: »

i try to keep my boy away from scum so therefore the church is not a good place to bring him as its full of hypocrites and peadophiles and is the biggest criminal organisation in ireland..

Hmmm the church (or any denomination/faith) are its members. I know many brilliant priests. If religion is not your cup of tea, we live in a free world, but to say the church is the biggest criminal organisation in ireland denotes extreme ignorance. Were there crimes and coverups.. yes. are all priests criminals.. no.., 90% of child abuse in the last decade was committed by people who are not in a church (parents, friends of family, cousins, baby sitters)

On the parenting side, the church I go to have many family supports, play room. We even have masses for parents with small kids where we lay carpets so everyone can sit with their kids.

We also have kids camp organised by the parish priest (and at his insistence the camp only happens if there are 2 parents with him at all times).

Religion has great supports for family, if you want them. Maybe some people like going to church on a sunday to meet others and pray, instead of dragging the kids and the husband around liffey valley for 80th time.

1966

Yeah we go as a family every week but 14 yr old goes grudgingly - but this is the early teenage years kicking in.
I honestly feel better in myself for going but I know the kids question why we go all the time cause very few of theirs peers do.
Anyway I think forty minutes of spirituality in a week won't do them or us (parents) any harm.