So… please tell me I’m not the only one who has issues with getting their little kids to behave during Sacrament Meeting.
Because with three boys (and two girls) it is a BATTLE some Sundays! We do our best to minimize the distractions but it can be really hard, especially when those distractions are other families.
John Bytheway is well known for his witty humor with regards to LDS culture (at least that’s how I remember him), but he is a man of many talents! The Sacrament is a children’s book that helps impress the sacredness of the Sacrament upon our children.
The Sacrament tells the story of a little boy who LOVES visiting Grandpa. In a sweet rhyme we get to hear about the fun things he got to do on Grandpa’s homestead… including going to Grandpa’s ward “‘Cause ‘a Sunday’s still a Sunday, even though we’re on vacation.” In the middle of Sacrament meeting he starts to wiggle and yawn, then Grandpa leans over and tells him about how sitting in Sacrament meeting was hard for him as boy as well.
He tells his grandson about all of the things he noticed about other people and the things that they did during that hour long meeting (even adults).
There were hundreds in the chapel but the worshippers were few
And I couldn’t help but wonder what the Lord Himself would do
Yes, I couldn’t help but wonder what the Lord Himself would say
Should He walk into the chapel while His Saints behaved tis way;
Would His loving eyes be saddened; would His countenance be grim
While He there observed and listened to a service meant for Him?
The spirit testifies to the little boy about the Atonement and he vows to do better, and remember what the Sacrament and Sacrament Meeting is really about.
At the end many of the symbols in the Sacrament are explained in terms that are easy for children to understand. It’s one thing to see and partake of the Sacrament every week… it’s another thing ENTIRELY to understand it’s meaning and symbolic nature. A few weeks ago Spencer mentioned to me that “we should use bigger cups for the water” because the tiny cups aren’t enough to quench your thirst. I explained to him what the water represents and why we drink it (to remember, not to keep from being thirsty) and that we don’t need a lot to do that.
I thought this book did an excellent job in explaining the nature of the Sacrament – and for more than just children. Sometimes it’s hard for us to remember that it’s a time for us to worship our Heavenly Father and remember our Savior’s sacrifice. Unfortunately as the mother of many young children, some distractions are inevitable (squirmy babies who want to break mom’s face with their heads) but other distractions (phones, tablets, etc.) are avoidable. And honestly, how can we expect our children to be reverent and pay attention if we aren’t even making an effort to do so?
