worst sunday ever
i’ve had some doozies, mostly when abe was 2 and 3 years old, when we lived in Tennessee.
i left church crying with crying kids on several sundays…
generally it was when Jimmy was out and about with his stake calling.
but today honestly beats all.
it was seriously unreal…
i couldn’t believe this was really my life…
that I could have a child scream so much, so loud, for so long.
and the thrashing, hitting, biting, scratching…
seriously?
if i talked to him, he screamed.
if i held him lovingly, he screamed.
if i was firm with him, he screamed.
if i ignored him, he screamed.
if i offered to take him inside to sit with the family, he screamed.
(we were out in the parking lot at this point.)
initially Truman screamed at Abe in the middle of the sacrament… like really loud.
he was mad that his sacrament cup didn’t get put in the tray.
i had to take him to the foyer…
and he kept screaming at me so i had to take him in between the doors…
and he kept screaming so i had to take him outside… only it was cold.
but i couldn’t take him back inside because he seriously wouldn’t stop screaming.
can we just say that Tru really needed his nap today.
1:00 church is killer for toddlers.
next week he’s sitting with jimmy.
i get eliza.
the problem is that tru somehow thinks he only needs and wants me.
but only on his terms, obviously.
i was trying to send telepathic messages to jimmy so he would know i needed him
(and needed the keys to the car).
but he didn’t catch my brain waves.
luckily my friend was in the foyer and heard us and came to help.
she got the keys from jimmy in sacrament meeting and i finally took that screaming child home.
he even screamed at me when i tried to tuck his blanket around him.
tired child.
it’s pretty much ridiculous that the r.s. president missed church because her child was so awful…
and i was bawling my eyes out wondering why he was so hard and wouldn’t be reasonable.
i couldn’t contain my tears enough to trade places with jimmy so i stayed home while tru napped.
oh dear.
this is my go-to thought when i’ve had a hard sunday.
it somehow comforts me to know i’m not the only mother out there
who might struggle with a screaming 2-year-old at church.
dealing with a toddler isn’t even the biggest ‘blow of life’
but it’s still nice to feel understood by other moms.
i made it through Abe as a toddler… he’s much better now.
please tell me I’ll survive Tru.
please.
p.s. and this comes after I firmly resolved yesterday to give Tru a chance… to be more positive in how I speak about him to Jimmy … to focus on what he does well… to give him positive attention for his sweet kisses and snuggles. I guess he decided to put me to the test. sigh…
Aiden had never made it through sacrament meeting until my mom watched him while we had the primary program. I was so frustrated! But I completely understand the 1pm frustrations, we had 1 church and then we moved and now we have 9 and its the best for Aiden. Too bad moving is not so easy anymore now that we own a home haha
I so understand, I spend my sacrament meeting in the halls with Sophia who screamed the minute we entered the chapel several times after she tricked me into thinking she might be good since she stopped crying the minute we got into the hall. I have no idea how we will survive for a whole year with 1pm church next year (and secretly I’m kinda glad it was my week to teach so Rob had to take her for the last two hours today!). I am sure things will get better for you and I think it sets a great example that you put being a mommy before your calling which is how it should be.
Bummer….I hate those days when when just can not help your kid. I read a blog where anytime her two year daughter has a breakdown, the mom tucks her in a blanket and puts a cool compress on her head until the little girl calms down. I have tried that a couple times with Austin lately. I kept thinking today that I needed to bring you a treat. I made brownies, but something went very wrong. After I read your blog, I thought I should have brought them anyway. he will grow out of it…..he will grow out of it…..so hard though.
Oh dear, I am so sorry Heather. Church is so hard with little ones! I take my littles home and miss quite frequently… i don’t know if I should admit that, but it’s survival.
Oh, I just love you, heather. Will you still respect me if I tell you about our drivng home from church conversation in the car? One boy asked me what I did in church and I replied “I cried.”
“why, mama?”
“because today was a very hard day at church and I really just wanted to go home.”
I can’t believe I just admitted that; I mean, I know it was wrong, but it was truth, I tell ya.
Anyway, when I was sitting on the floor in RS trying to keep Emerson from going through everyone’s bags, poking every baby in a car seat, singing loud solos during testimonies, etc., I found myself. Trying to think of anything I could do to turn this 3 hour block into something positive. I decided if I had an envelope I’d write you a little note and stick it on the podium in RS for you to find a few hours later. Good thing I didn’t do it since you wouldn’t have found it anyway this week!
We all have hard weeks at church. That’s ok. The point is that our older kids know that the church and the gospel are important to us, and that we keep trying with the littles. Many Sundays we’re not all together at church (our little band of 6) because Em is such a disaster without her naps. But we try. It’s a hard season, but it’ll pass.
Oh Heather. Wow. I sure admire your positive attitude. Glad the day is over. And daylight savings time ending didn’t help any either!
Wow Heather,
That was a bad one. I was just thinking yesterday how I cannot wait for David to get past this two year old stage. He had to be taken out because he was crying…Dad (Philip) put David’s sacrament cup in the tray for him. How terrible! Then he started running around the back of the “chapel.” Since we are in a branch, our chapel is really just the cultural hall.
During primary we wanted to invite the soon to be sunbeams to singing time. This would have left David alone, so they brought him too. I had to take him to Philip and let him know he could bring him back at 12:05. Philip was of course standing up making an announcement in priesthood at the moment, so I actually informed the entire priesthood of our branch.
I have to say though that these experiences make me love a branch. David belongs to all of them. It is like having a room of grandmas and grandpas. They do not freak out when he is too loud. They understand he is still young and they love him even when he misbehaves.
It is a comfort to know there are others experiencing the same things. You are not alone.
You are NOT alone! Yesterday it was a merry go round of Emi and Lily out in the foyer for crying and screaming and misbehaving. I was beginning to wonder how many times we could go out during one Sacrament meeting. Some Sundays are just hard! And 1pm church IS killer for toddlers, and for mothers of toddlers! AND daylight savings doesn’t add to fun. This too shall pass, and these small, and often mean acting children will be older and nicer! Love you!