First of all, realize that children are naturally noisy.
Second, doing what comes naturally isn't "naughty" to a child.
Third, we ask too much of children, depending on their age, when we make them sit for long periods in chairs or high chairs.
The above excerpt is from the book "Have a New Child by Friday" by renowned Christian psychologist Dr. Kevin Leman. I agree with him and wish more adults are aware of the above facts.
Case in point: I was at a meeting in a church not too long ago. The children were given wee chairs right in the front row at the extreme right of the meeting hall. There were about 7 kids aged 3+ to 8 including my kids. There was a lady sitting there with them to "look after" them. She's one of the Sunday school teachers. I was seated a couple of rows behind them. The meeting lasted about 2 hours and I think that the kids behaved very well. They spoke to each other, moved in their chairs, read books, drew, played with small toys but one couldn't hear them and they were not distracting.
Apparently, the lady looking after them didn't think so. She kept hushing them and getting to them every time they moved or did something. I was really annoyed. I mean, does she expect them to be still as statues? They can't understand what the preacher was saying and I think that indulging in a bit of drawing, playing with toys and chatting is alright as they were doing it with minimum noise and movement.
At one point, she grabbed the pencil from a boy and told him to stop it just because he was showing his drawing to another boy and they were both drawing and chatting. I really saw red then but kept my peace. In the end, I think she was the one being distracting - moving always to hush and what not. The poor kids.
While I appreciate the fact that this lady and many like her sacrifice time and effort to volunteer in Sunday school, I wonder why can't they be trained/equipped for the job? They should understand kids and if not, at least be taught what to expect and not to expect from kids and how to handle them.
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3 comments:
Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." - Matt 19:14
Hi Liz,
Totally agree! Children should be children-lar. Noisy, fun and a little bit mischievious! Sometimes, I do often wonder if the adult themselves have ever been children before! BTW , I have heard of such comments for quite some time now.Let's continue to pray and hope that some transformation can take place!
Dear Dau Lim,
TQ for dropping by. And the apt bible verse. Perhaps you should help out in kids ministry? *mischievious grin*
Hi bro Ivan,
Tx once again for ur supportive comments. I know u love kids and understand them cos u run the RR so well. Can't wait for my boys to join & "torture" u. Haha! But go easy on them ar...underneath all that tough act, they're actually sensitive.
Erm, yeah, I agree...and I think I need to rediscover my childhood too cos I've been "Fierce-no-fun-mum" all this while. *sigh* I think I need to join RR too...to lighten up. hahaha!
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