Tiny Tots and Reverence

When my first child was small and I had to take her out of sacrament meeting when she was fussy, I noticed several children roaming the halls of the meetinghouse during sacrament meeting—some as old as 10 or 11. I realized that for them being in the foyer was fun. When it came time to teach my own toddler to sit quietly during Church meetings, I looked for an alternative. Avoiding the foyer, I sought out a quiet classroom, staircase, or corner where we could be alone. I placed my daughter on my lap, and we sat in dull silence.

“This isn’t fun, Mommy,” my little wiggler complained.

“No, it isn’t,” I agreed. “There’s nothing to see, hear, or do here. I wish we were back in the chapel with Daddy where we could see all the people, listen to the talks, and sing the songs.”

“Let’s go,” my daughter said.

Eventually we both came to the conclusion that the chapel was more fun than the boring corners, and my daughter made a greater effort to sit quietly during meetings.—Terrie Lynn Bittner, Tacoma, Washington