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[quote=Anonymous]Not having had any really uncomfortable experiences, I’d guess the worst would be those long, rambling, intense, eyes squeezed shut, head bowed, stream of consciousness prayers that some folks (even in denominations where formal prayers are the norm) seem to take joy in “sharing” with others.

When I was little and we visited a relative, I used to end up at the local (I think Methodist) church where they had a kids’ program. There was an aeronautical theme, and the adults had the genuinely brilliant idea of putting little manilla paper “seatbelts” on each chair for the kids to “buckle up for takeoff,” creating a great disincentive to room-wandering. I recall liking it even though it was from a different faith tradition than ours.

By contrast, when I was at a sing along with some Bible folks, and the song was “Gimme That Old Time Religion,” somebody leaned in and asked if I really wanted it. Being well trained in my own faith I thought it was the most ridiculous question I’d ever been asked.

As to the OP’s situation, I think there’s a difference between “old enough to stay home alone,” and “old enough to stay home alone in somebody else’s house while in the care and custody of non-parents who might feel a real sense of protective duty.”  If a kid came to stay with us, they’d probably get dragged to Church so we could keep an eye on them, but I wouldn’t expect enthusiastic participation in our complex-to-others rituals. I might explain things before, during or after, but only to put things in context. I agree with the posters who say that a kid in that position needs to be reasonable cooperative; at the same time people shouldn’t be seizing on the chance to “save” kids they’ve merely agreed to watch temporarily, particularly without parent participation. It may also have been the case that the hyper religious family might have been the best option OP’s mom had at the time. [/quote]

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