Had to love the topic today of "Kids at Mass." In particular I love the fact that two single dudes and a priest were eschewing the notion of having young kids at Mass. Now I could understand Lino and Lou's opinions about the noises and interruption, but having Father Rob be all in agreement was a bit much. But perhaps I'm transferring my own ire of my home parish on our merry trio.

Let me put Luke 18:15-17 to the side for an instant.

I'm a father of a now 6 year old. My church has a two-pew, tiny cry room which actually serves as a glorified hallway to the door to the women's restroom -- yes, the actual restroom door is part of the cry room. Like any typical cry room, you have people going in there who don't have kids. You also have parishioners going to the restroom during Mass, getting their business done, and then leaving the restroom with the door open. You can imagine the impact on the cry room users.

It gets worse. On one occasion when my son was a year old, we went to Mass, and we sat at about the middle of the church near the aisle, just in case my son decided to act up during Mass. Well, on this occasion he did act up, so I did what any normal dad would do -- get up, take him to the lobby area (because the cry room was full with its usual childless group) until he settled down, and then went back to our seats when my son was not so fussy.

At Communion time, I carried my boy up with me so that I might receive the Eucharist. The presider chided me just before I received Communion with a stern, "Your son is an interruption to the Mass. You shouldn't bring him here. He's ruining Mass for everyone else."

Suffice to say that priest is no longer at our Parish.

I've searched around my area for a Church which was OK with kids at Mass, and to my surprise I found one where kids were not only welcomed but encouraged. As one of the priests said, "Jesus welcomed children, and so do we as a parish."

What's my point? The discussion today on TCGS I thought was way not sympathetic at all to Catholic parents of young children. (How I wish I was at a parish with a Taj Mahal cry room!) Granted, Lino, Lou & one caller freely admitted that they were not parents, and all figured that their opinions might change if they were blessed to be parents one day. I actually called in pretty livid and was ready to give Lino & Co. a Cathy-esque thrashing, but of course the segment was ended with a dude caller semi-humorously decrying kids at Mass.

I think I'm just mad at Fr. Rob for being anti-"kid at Mass." Sigh.