I'm a Latter-Day Saint (LDS). We have a lay clergy -- which means every member has a "job" at church in additional to their "normal" job and family duties. Our bishop is also a high school teacher, his first counselor is a draftsman and handyman, and his second counselor (my husband) is a financial services representative. I also have an assignment -- I'm the Primary President, which means I'm responsible for the religious education of the 18 month olds through 12 year olds.
I have known and still know some adults who resent the amount of time their parents spent in their church assignments. They feel that their parents cared more about their assignments or "callings" at church, than their own kids. I don't know, I think we all find something to resent our parents over. I was the kid who's parents didn't always come to church. My parents weren't very active until I was in high school, but they were always good people, I knew they believed in God, and we always prayed as a family. I didn't really understand the advantage of a temple marriage over a civil-only marriage until my parents were married in the temple when I was 16 years old. The four of us kids were also "sealed" to them for "time and all of eternity" at that time. Then, as a judgmental, opinionated teenager, I saw two good people with a good marriage, become something greater. This lesson has served me well over the years.
I guess I don't have a lot of sympathy for the adults who were active kids with active parents -- seems like a strange thing to hate your parents over. However, I do worry about my kids feeling this way some day. I don't want them to hate the Church because their Mom and Dad were busy serving everyone else, but them. I am very careful about how many hours I ask them to be adults in little kid bodies. Because really, the end goal is for them to love the Lord and His Church, as much as I do -- if not more.
So, back to today's sabbath:
This morning, my husband and I both needed to attend Ward Council (basically, our congregation's staff meeting with the bishop), which meant also taking the kids -- an almost 5 1/2 year old and an almost 2 year old for a 1.5 hr adult meeting. (Who is going to babysit at 7am on a Sunday?) Thankfully, I have two wonderful counselors who trade off months with me, but this month it was my turn. As I pulled up to the church 30 minutes late -- totally my fault this morning, but I didn't lose my cool -- my kids cheered and screamed, "Yay! Church!". I said, "Okay, but first we go to bishop's meeting." Then screams of "Yay! Bishop!" Man!!! That did my heart good!! This made my month!!! These two "little" adults were great during the meeting, and help me set up chairs in the classrooms afterward. Then, during church, with everyone watching and my husband helpless in the front of the room, I was in the back pew with two little ones who decided to be children again. I racked up 400 steps on my pedometer while "sitting still" in church, and my last comments were, "No touching!!!". I was handling it okay, better than some days, but I was ready to turn them over to their teachers. A member of the Stake Presidency (leaders over ~10 local congregations) walked by afterward and smiled "You did a good job." I rolled my eyes, "Yeah, right!" He smiled again, "I know its hard." Thank you, I needed that.
