The “Talk”
Posted Aug 6th 2007by Ebenezer
Wow. I expected to have “the talk” when my kids got older but I never expected to be on the receiving end of “the talk” much sooner.
That’s exactly where daddyo and I found ourselves this morning after Carter’s Sunday School class. Only “the talk” wasn’t the one you might have initially thought of. Daddyo was stopping to pick up Carter and I was walking away to go get Gracey when I noticed Carter’s teacher stepped out side and started to talk to Daddyo. Uh-Oh. I walked back over and tried to quiet the mama bear in me and listen objectively to what he had to say.
I know this may come as a shock to you but Carter has a very difficult time sitting still and quiet for storytime. *GASP! He likes to get up out of his seat and play and disrupt the whole “congregation” in children’s church. Let’s see, I think the words used were, “Carter can be a little rambunctious and we just wanted to make you aware…..and we’re going to try……..and need you to reinforce at home………” Then the lady who tells the stories in children’s church stepped out and added her two cents about Carter and offered up a couple of solutions. I tried not to laugh because I honestly don’t think having kindergarden girls sit on either side of him is going to make one bit of difference. If anything, I think it will egg him on and he’ll have those girls in stitches before the story is over. But hey, if they’re willing to try it – I say good for them, maybe it will surprise me and work afterall. She did tell me to remind Carter that story time is for sititng and listening and singing time is for singing….. DANG, you mean I shouldn’t be telling him to run around and act a fool during children’s church?
I know. She’s only doing her job and they were both very kind in their approach. There isn’t a way they could have said what needed to be said without stirring the mama bear in me. I mean, Carter is perfect. Sure, he’s got a LOT of enthusiasm for life but he’s so adorable and so smart that his enthusiasm is contagious, not annoying. 
UGH. My first instinct is to quit my adult SS class and start working in Carter’s class so I can manage his behavior but that really wouldn’t solve anything. I mean, I can’t go to every class with him for the rest of his life. I’d much rather him learn this lesson now than when he’s in first grade.
And then I wonder if he is even capable of sitting still for ten minutes and listening to a story. But he can sit longer than that and watch television. Or play with the same toy for that long. So I think he is capable, I think he’s just smart enough to know that his teachers aren’t going to do much of anything except make him sit back down. I just don’t know. I offered to go in and sit in the back and when he starts to be disruptive to take him out of children’s worship myself. But she wants to try the girls and the kindergarden thing first. She did also say that he may just need to go back to the nursery for 6 more months or so but that isn’t sitting well with me. I want to help him learn how to behave appropriately in that situation, not just pass him on to someone else where he won’t be expected to behave.
The only two ideas I have for handling this are A) Find a “Mable”. Get someone I know and trust but not someone I hang out with regularly to watch Carter during our Sunday School hour. Someone who will be mean and nasty. Not really nasty, but someone who will not laugh at him or let him have any fun at all. Not make him cry or anything, but definitely not play with him. Then, his options are to behave in children’s church or sit with “Mable” because Mommy and Daddy are going to go to Sunday School. B) Go to his service and sit in the back where he can’t see us and when he becomes disruptive take him out and spank him.
Ugh. I am not even sure either of those will work. He can’t continue to disrupt everyone. I think today must have been especially bad because the teacher said that there were a few “rambunctious” kids this morning and that Carter kind of fed off of them. I know Carter is a leader – I can see it already in his play time. He’s a little instigator and I can only imagine that if there are a few other kids who are borderline “rambunctious” (i think that’s a nice way of saying OUT OF CONTROL) that he will have them going in no time.
My sweet little Carter. I’m afraid you are getting close to being kicked out of children’s church. But don’t worry, mommy will always love you and will always think you are absolutely perfect. If you do get booted out, mommy will wrap the teacher’s house with toilet paper. 
Dear Gracey, please don’t be “rambunctious” in Sunday School.
I know how you feel. My kids almost got kicked out of VBS earlier this summer! However, they got better each day. As long as you are working with him and talking to him, he should improve. At our small church in FL, the kids stayed in the service for the first 20 minutes (until we got there and hired a nursery worker to be there 30 minutes early)! Anyway, a mother of 6 kids, gave me a book about teaching kids to sit in church, etc. One of the suggestions was to practice church at home — the standing and singing, the offering, etc. They suggested practicing about 10 minutes – or work your way up to them being able to sit for the time needed. Maybe that would help him. The idea is to have him with you while training him what to do in that specific situation. I’ll be praying for you!