Are you having a hard time surviving Mass each Sunday with your kids? Today, Danielle responds to a listener question asking for tips and ideas on how to survive Mass with young children. She shares encouragement for every family out there that is struggling through Mass.
Snippet from the Show
You and your kids belong at Mass. Some days may be better than others, but trust that God loves you and your kids.
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From Danielle
Today’s topic comes to us from a question I received from my friend (and podcast editor!) Elizabeth. She asks for ideas of ways to survive the craziness of going to Mass as a family with multiple small children.
This is a topic so many of us can relate to. Whether you have just one rambunctious toddler or a whole gang of little people, trying to keep your kids quiet and well-behaved in the pews can leave us feeling exhausted and defeated.
Some of the thoughts I share include choosing your seat wisely, using cry rooms sparingly, and finding quiet and age-appropriate ways to engage your kids in Mass. In the end, though, each family will need to decide the best plan of action for themselves and their kids in the current stage of family life. I want to encourage you to know that you belong at Mass and your kids do too. Some days will be better than others and you may need to make adjustments to your routines as your family changes and grows, but trust that God loves you and your kids, and he delights in seeing your efforts to attend Mass as a family.
Song of the Week
This week’s song is an old favorite: Home by Phillip Phillips
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Megan Madden
Megan Madden is a homeschooling mother with a passion for writing and speaking on authentic femininity and virtuous womanhood. In 2017, she began graduate studies in marriage and family at the International Theological Institute in Austria. After moving to Kraków, Poland to work with university students, Megan more personally continued her research on the complementarity of man and woman, particularly on the question of what it means to be a woman. She delved into the study of renowned Catholic writers on women such as St. Edith Stein, Gertrude von le Fort, Alice von Hildebrand, St. John Paul II, and St. Teresa of Avila.
The results were the development of Megan’s online ministry A Mother’s Lace, as well as speaking opportunities and her book with Ascension: Mary, Teach Me to Be Your Daughter.
Megan lives outside of Oxford, England with her husband, who is a lecturer in theology, and their five children.
Thanks for your valuable input on this topic! Wanted to share that as grandparents, we have started going with our daughter and her husband and three small kids, to the Mass time of their choosing. It doesn’t always work out with our schedule, but when we go, we can assist with the children. We have noticed that there are quite a few other multi-generational families in the pews!
Hello Danielle
Hope this text finds you and your loved ones well.
To share with you, listening to your podcast and looking back, I wished they were around over 30 years ago. LOL
I am so grateful for your podcasts today because they sparked those memories of my own experiences with my kids at church. YES, I agree, we belong there, too (even in the chaos).
I, personally, am not distracted by the beautiful sound of our next generation because – been there done that and totally understand.
Thanks for sparking those precious memories at church with my kids.
I was excited to see the article but was disappointed as there really wasn’t much suggested to help families. I was really looking for some actual ideas of what others have done to that helped. Ex: coloring book with children’s pictures of Jesus, Mary, etc.
Thank you for the podcast on this topic! Although my own kids are also grown, I love seeing young families at Mass, as well. I have a couple of other suggestions for parents struggling with their kids at Mass. You talked about peer pressure. I know that some parishes have a children’s Mass. In addition, they might consider a daily Mass at a local Catholic school. As a former principal & teacher, we loved having young families participate in the liturgy with us! Thanks again for your service to our Church!