Dance Recital 2010

After 48 dance routines and three hours, we survived the girls' dance recital this year! Jenna and Abby had been looking forward to this day for weeks, if not months. Everyday, Abby would ask me how long until the dance recital. Our conversations went something like this:

Abby: How long till I get to dance on the big stage?
Me: 2 months?
Abby: What's 2 months?
Me: 60 days.
Abby: How long is 60 days?
Me: Ummmmm . . . you get to dance on the big stage right after preschool is over.

Really, trying to explain time to a 4 year old, or at least to Abby, was difficult, so I had to come up with creative explanations just about every day.

But the big day did arrive! Grandma and Grandpa got to come and they got to wear makeup (I followed the directions for their makeup, but tried to tone it down) and get their hair done. I stressed about the hair deal for a long time. Abby had to have a bun--I have never done one, so I printed directions out from the Internet and practiced a few times. Jenna just had to have a high ponytail, but her hair is so thick that it took me forever.

One they were ready, they did a great job! Jenna did a tap number and Abby a ballet number. I think they both like the stage . . . as Abby's class was walking off in a line, she stopped the whole group to wave to the audience for a good 30 seconds. When I asked her who she was waving to, she said, "Everyone who clapped for me!" Cute:)

35 weeks

Curious

I can't ever remember a time as a kid when I didn't have to go to both church and Sunday School on a Sunday morning. I guess I don't really know if my parents took us to church as young babies, but I do remember eating raisins in the pew and going to preschool Sunday school.

I am just really curious, so if you have an opinion or experience about this, please feel free to comment. I really just don't know what to think about the topic of kids and church, because what I thought was normal isn't normal to everyone else and I'm starting to explore all possibilities.

The question is . . . Is it important to have children in church or is it appropriate to only have them in Sunday School? Is there a grey area? Is there a point where kids are just too young to be in church? Or is it important to have them in both church and Sunday School?

I've always made an effort to have our girls in both Sunday School and church. However, I do realize that there are times when sending kids to the nursery during church is the only sane option for me. I am always on my own in the church pew and had both our girls in the nursery when they could go. But, I did make an effort to have them in church for as long as we could both stand it on a Sunday morning--it was kind of like taking baby steps to teach them how to sit in church. I would have them in church for about the first 20 minutes--long enough to get through the children's message and then they'd go to the nursery. Gradually, we worked up to both girls being able to sit through the whole church service, although it requires a lot of effort on my part to keep things under control:)

Here in New York, the band led service (which is the one that the kids enjoy and behave in) is during Sunday School. I usually send them to Sunday School and then we stay for church, but it's a whole lot of work for me and I am fast forwarding to when the baby arrives. I totally see how easy it would be to send the kids to Sunday School, go to church during that time, and then all go home.

But . . . I do want them to learn what worship is and how to sit in church. I guess I just don't know if I am expecting them to start learning too early. I think I might be in the minority, but I really don't know. If you have any thoughts or experience here, I'd love to hear it!