Worth Training For

About a month ago we had one of those embarrassing and anxiety-filled sacrament meetings. You know...the kind where you leave home right after the meeting because you need your child to eat and go to sleep RIGHT NOW. Actually, you yourself need a meal and a nap too! I'm sure it didn't look like anything out of the norm to anyone else, but I knew we had hit a crossroads and something had to change.

Annabelle was acting up and running back and forth across the aisle, trying to convince a few boys to join her every now and then (although I can't blame her for that. Everything is more fun with a couple friends in tow)! Each time I asked her to come sit down, she refused. When I walked over to get her, she started running away toward the back of the cultural hall yelling "I want my daddy!" A little embarrassing. My only consolation was that when Josh cut her off on the other side, she started running from him yelling "I want my mommy!" Phew! We were both on an even playing field :) She knew she was caught so the crying began. The situation didn't improve throughout the meeting. Out to the foyer she went in tears, back into the meeting she came without resolve to change her behavior. Well she may've lacked resolve, but I sure left with more than enough for both of us!

In the most recent book I read, there is a chapter titled "All's Quiet in Church." It talks about a program of reverence training. I'd done this with Annabelle months ago and had great success, but due to inconsistency in church attendance from illnesses and holidays, we'd lapsed back into old habits. The author suggests practicing at home an hour each day for three weeks. Annabelle and I have done it between 2 and 3 days a week for 45 minutes each time, and that seems to be enough for her. We call it "Quiet Time."

I put General Conference on the TV (I have it on the DVR), and she sits beside me on the couch. She's not allowed to get down from her seat and she has to talk in a whisper if she needs to tell me something. Let me tell you, the first 3 sessions are TOUGH! Oftentimes I questioned whether I was doing the right thing because she had such a difficult time staying there, and would become so upset when she had to return to her seat. I hate seeing her sad because she's such a sweet, happy girl! It breaks my heart! But I knew it would pay off in the end, and we'd all be happier.

After 2 weeks of training I can now say what a wonderful blessing this has been and what a complete difference it has made in Annabelle's church behavior. I don't want to say that she was bad--she wasn't! She's just 2, and needed to be taught and trained to be reverent in church. Of course something like this doesn't come naturally to children. I kept reading this quote: "I know it is possible to train our little ones to be reverent in the Lord's house. I sincerely believe he will assist us in this program if we will only enlist his help. So we mustn't give up. We only fail if we quit trying."

This was a wonderful teaching tool for me as a mother. It has calmed my nerves and given me confidence. Annabelle still needs occasional reminders, which is to be expected, but she is doing so well. I was so proud of her behavior on Sunday, and her little whisper is just about the cutest thing I've ever heard in my life! I didn't even want to take her to nursery--I wanted to keep her with me :) I will definitely continue doing this with all my children--a sanity-saver and blessing for sure!