Isn't that a song? Oh. Maybe it's Blue Monday? Who knows.
Migraine lasted 'til about mid-day Saturday. I didn't fast in the morning, and actually I think it made it go away faster.
I'm confused about taking kids to religious services. Or, I should say, religious services that last more than 1 1/2 hours. Do people do it? Can people do it? And by kids I guess I should say young kids - like below the age of 10.
We got to my parents' synagogue @ 10:45 am, family service from 10:30-11:30. Max has this sullen thing going. "I don't like it. I'm not going to like it. It's silly." He will not engage. I allow it, but tell him he has to stand when we stand and no - cannot play with the toys in the back of the room. Nathan, by the end, is clapping with the songs.
We go up to the main service to sit with my parents, siblings & uncle. Kids are promptly all over me. Sitting on my lap, leaning on me. One on each side. Could. Not. Stand. It.
I don't know. Was it compassion fatigue? (Ok, maybe a bit extreme.) Was it the migraine? Was it semi-fasting? But they were driving me crazy. I could not tolerate them hanging on me! "Go! Sit with Grandma! Hang on her!" "Noooo...... we want YOU!"
We sat through the rabbi's sermon & even through his sullenness... Max was listening. The rabbi talked about the power of prayer, and how when he was a kid he said the "Shema" and how he felt it kept a dog away from him. Max was enthralled. So, maybe the whole thing was worth it? For those 5 minutes?
But, we left at about 12:30 before my head exploded.
Went back to my parents' house & then they came home @ the break time - 2 pm. We went back again for shofar blowing, havdalah & breaking the fast - at about 7ish (fast ends 7:44 pm - although I've found out that it's different everywhere? Like, within the same time zone? How could that be? Isn't that standardized? Heck - I'm going to find me an earlier synagogue!!)
Nathan went back before us - with my uncle.
I walk in and see him.... I'm not sure how to describe this... on his hands and knees going around in circles... kind of reminded me of break dancing - on the side aisle. On the floor. My dad, and uncle are staring straight ahead, listening to the rabbi... and Nathan's spinning like a top out of control.
I join the grown-ups & Max joins Nathan. I sit, I stand. I listen. I pray. My kids spin. I kid you not. I though... "Hmmm... maybe I'm on to something here?" I'm not sure how much they were disturbing the others. I kept them quiet. They just spinned. (Ok, they rolled a bit, too... but when they started to battle I put a stop to that. "No battling at synagogue! Have to have some standards, you know." I mean, I don't know.... if they sit with me I don't get to be involved in the service at all.... and I think what is the point? Why am I here? And I know that it's important to bring them... so they learn, so they feel part of a community...
And they learn how to do a pretty good spin.
April 1st
7 months ago
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5 comments:
OMG, I have visions of your kids doing the spin in the aisle and EVERYONE around them being acutely aware of it and totally ignoring them at the same time. Hilarious!! I am sure they were all thinking "what's that mother doing?" or worse...but honestly, I know exactly where you're coming from. I've been there. It's kinda like how my youngest sometimes used to behave on an airplane. Like a crazy boy running up and down the aisles. Sometimes I just had to leave him to it...it was that, or losing my sanity.
It is a cute story, though, and your kids will love it when you share it with them in a few years. Well, maybe not a FEW. Glad your migraine's gone :)
Have a good day, Heidi
Services are awfully difficult for kids, mostly because of their length. I've often envied Christians, who seem to manage to complete all their rituals in an hour or so.
Okay that is sooooo funny, thanks for the laugh. Like Niobe says christians get their services over and done with in about an hour, but that hour is still a testing one with my girls! Jboo does circuits of the entire church, stopping to do cute smiles at people fortunately, Baa had only just stopped trying to jump on and off the chairs when I decided that solo mumness and church don't mix and got sick of the looks we were always getting!
I'm unsure of adults that can behave that long at religious services.
I seemed to spend the first 4 years of Katie's life standing in the lobby of the church trying to participate through a glass door. She was dreadful and the priest was elderly and had no time for noisy children - bad combination. My mother however tells me I was no saint either. Silent spinning really isn't at all bad in the grand scale of things and I'm with family adaventure, it is a fantastic image.
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