Usually Emily is so well-behaved at church. She's been going with me every week since she was born, & so knows to be quiet when other folks are quiet. But over the winter, it was often too hard to get up their icy driveway & so many folks had colds & she missed a few months & has just started going with me again. Today she had everyone in the back pews in stitches. She is so precocious & talks so clearly for a 15-month old. She pointed at the large painting of Jesus on the alter & said "PapPap" fairly quietly, but was overheard by the people behind us. When they snickered, she was encouraged to point again & proudly shout loudly "That's Pap Pap! There he is! That's Pap Pap!"...several times she repeated this proclamation. When I apologized later to my pastor, I told him that he can take comfort in the fact that at least she loves her PapPap above all others. & my husband sure loved hearing that story, as he's her "Pap".

That is sooo funny!! I am dreading my sons reaction to having to be quiet in church. He's a very loud little boy.Thanks for sharing that. That was a good laugh!

Young kids are very "literal" and often don't have a clue that there can be different meanings to the same word. I know an unmarried woman with a passel of kids and the youngest has no clue who her biological father is, but has been taught that Jesus is her Father. One day she and I were discussing dad's and she told me Jesus is her dad (her mom apparently didn't feel the need to clarify this). A Heavenly conception? Don't think so. But this little child had no clue that she was conceived by a fleshly man...

I remember when there was a single black cloud hanging in the sky my son 5 or 6 years old looked at it, pointed and asked if GOD made it rain.....well I of course said yes.....he looked at me with the brightest eyes and (I will never forget it) said....DAD HE MUST HAVE A BIG WATER SPRINKLER.........

I'm a big believer that children brought to church from birth instinctively know to be quiet when other foks are quiet. That being said, my 2 sons could get pretty rowdy during church as they got older, & so they ALSO got my arm draped around their shoulders in what looked like a loving motherly gesture, but ACTUALLY allowed me give them my patented "Settle down" shoulder PINCH. I will surely go to hell!!! hahahaha!

Ah...such memories you bring back.....my favorite being when my then 2 year old son was misbehaving and DAD took him out. He howled from the front all the way to the back of church..."NO, DADDY....I'LL BE GOOD...DON'T SPANK ME....I DON'T WANNA GO OUT DADDY....I WANT MOMMMMMY". The people behind us had all they could do not to flop over on the floor in hysterics. And of course dh didn't think to put his hand over the little monkey's mouth. I was mortally embarrassed.

My other wonderful moment during Christmas Eve Mass - my daughter (then 15 months) began singing the 'ABC Song' at the top of her lungs during the quietest part of mass! She got to 'G' before I got my hand over her mouth! Hey....did we expect her to sing when everyone ELSE was singing....who would have heard her THEN??? Have to wait for those silent moments when our talents will be NOTICED.

I myself have been known to do the CHURCH HUG....an
occasional 'seemingly' maternal gesture, just to whisper in my little ones ear "straighten up this minute or you are going to GET IT when we get home"...all delivered with a sweet smile. But heck, I remember when we were kids, my brother was talking in church (then about 6)....a BIG no-no as we're Catholic and back then you barely were allowed to BREATHE much less talk in church! Well, some man whacked him on the back of the head with his missilette...he was too scared to turn around to see who it was! My how times have changed!!

Enjoy their little antics...it's what makes life worthwhile...and keeps the rest of us from nodding off during those occasional dull sermons!!! I have a feeling if the Good Lord Himself were here, he'd probably smile too!!!

My husband used to make baskets out of local vines and slip the handles over a pole to carry them to a diner where they sold them for him. My sister was talking to a friend of hers and the friend told her she saw a man who looked just like Jesus walking down the road carrying baskets on a pole. My sister told her not to worry it was just her brother in law.