Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Enough said.

We work all week and have 2 precious days at home as a family.

With church, we have one morning together (Saturday). Sunday is spent yelling to get out the door, even though I try really hard not to.

We get home and everyone is hungry and grumpy. Going out to eat is too expensive and packing lunch or a snack is time consuming…I pack food all week!

What I wouldn’t give for a Wednesday night church.

I feel for you. We are Muslims and had same issue as a young family and having to do it on Fridays is even worse. We ended up doing it when we could and not when it was too much. Don't beat yourself up.

And irrespective of whatever religion you may practice, you always have the option of just not going at all. Consider becoming non-observant and non-religious. There go all the obligations , along with the crazy beliefs.

Not necessarily. You can keep your beliefs if they make sense to you but practice them as you please instead of how church/mosque/synagog/temple people preach to do.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some Protestant churches also have Saturday night services - or Sunday evening.

Agree that Sunday morning with little kids is hard. When my kids were little, they loved going to Sunday school because they got lemonade and crackers. We lapsed as they got older, Sunday school was less fun, and they started to have conflicts on Sunday mornings. it is what it is - we are trying to get back into going now that they are teens, but it is hard. God is much less judgmental than church doctrine might lead you to believe.

It’s extremely hard to get kids to accept church again if you took a “break” when they are little. Teens aren’t going to cooperate if they’ve been sleeping in every Sunday!

I was the first poster who mentioned the value of pushing through, and this is why.

That said, I imagine pushing through initial resistance with teens is also valuable. There's always value in church - even on a day when the pastor preaches a dud, the choir/lead singer is out of tune, the pianist is off, and there's a person who smells like BO sitting right in front of you raising their hands every song. Honest.

You've mentioned several things that decrease the value in going to church, but not what makes it valuable nonetheless. What is it?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some Protestant churches also have Saturday night services - or Sunday evening.

Agree that Sunday morning with little kids is hard. When my kids were little, they loved going to Sunday school because they got lemonade and crackers. We lapsed as they got older, Sunday school was less fun, and they started to have conflicts on Sunday mornings. it is what it is - we are trying to get back into going now that they are teens, but it is hard. God is much less judgmental than church doctrine might lead you to believe.

It’s extremely hard to get kids to accept church again if you took a “break” when they are little. Teens aren’t going to cooperate if they’ve been sleeping in every Sunday!

I was the first poster who mentioned the value of pushing through, and this is why.

That said, I imagine pushing through initial resistance with teens is also valuable. There's always value in church - even on a day when the pastor preaches a dud, the choir/lead singer is out of tune, the pianist is off, and there's a person who smells like BO sitting right in front of you raising their hands every song. Honest.

Anonymous wrote:Some Protestant churches also have Saturday night services - or Sunday evening.

Agree that Sunday morning with little kids is hard. When my kids were little, they loved going to Sunday school because they got lemonade and crackers. We lapsed as they got older, Sunday school was less fun, and they started to have conflicts on Sunday mornings. it is what it is - we are trying to get back into going now that they are teens, but it is hard. God is much less judgmental than church doctrine might lead you to believe.

It’s extremely hard to get kids to accept church again if you took a “break” when they are little. Teens aren’t going to cooperate if they’ve been sleeping in every Sunday!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with someone above who said to plow through. These years will go fast and before you know it - you have no control over whether they go or not. I prioritized mass every Sunday even with travel sports. I can’t say if it mattered yet, but I tried. Make it a positive event and add donuts or bagels afterwards.

Back to bribery you clearly have not read through the other posts

If you have to force yourself and your family to do something, do you think you are losing the meaning of doing it?

I don’t believe it is bribery. Instead, it is making the whole experience a positive family event. I remember growing up and getting donuts after mass. In high school, my mom and I went to Farrells. In my 20s, I went to dinner with my grandparents after meeting them for mass on a Saturday night.

Do you remember the sermons? Do you practice what was preached every moment of every day?

okay, now we know that you're crazy. PP sounded reasonable. You do not.

Its crazy to ask someone who detailed remembering what they ate and did after church but not what they learned from the lesson?

I was just trying to convey to the OP how I have a happy memories. While I don’t remember many homilies, I always felt better for the time spent in church. I could tell you other stories that you will surely mock.

Some Protestant churches also have Saturday night services - or Sunday evening.

Agree that Sunday morning with little kids is hard. When my kids were little, they loved going to Sunday school because they got lemonade and crackers. We lapsed as they got older, Sunday school was less fun, and they started to have conflicts on Sunday mornings. it is what it is - we are trying to get back into going now that they are teens, but it is hard. God is much less judgmental than church doctrine might lead you to believe.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If I can find multiple hours in our weekend for sports or parties or play dates, I figure I have zero excuses not to find 1 hour for Mass. But you won’t have to look far for an excuse if that’s what you want.

My mother always said that God gives us 168 hours a week and only wants one back from us, so we can at least give him that.

You and your mom know how to make people feel guilty.

DP. Being temporarily ashamed of not doing something you shouldn't isn't a bad thing. It's a good thing. It's how the conscience works.

Then you (if Christian, I acknowledge not everyone on this thread is) take that sin of omission to the cross, acknowledge Jesus died for it and fully paid the penalty, marvel at how amazing he is to be willing to suffer infinite wrath on our behalf for sins tiny and massive, and fill your mind with how much Jesus loves you.

At the end of the process, if conscience is doing it's job, you should feel more beloved and joyful than you did before, and the shame should be turned into resolve to show your love for the one who loves you by doing what he asks.

Not always an easy process, but always a good one.

Anonymous wrote:If I can find multiple hours in our weekend for sports or parties or play dates, I figure I have zero excuses not to find 1 hour for Mass. But you won’t have to look far for an excuse if that’s what you want.

My mother always said that God gives us 168 hours a week and only wants one back from us, so we can at least give him that.

You and your mom know how to make people feel guilty.

Anonymous wrote:Op, we cook the same meal after church every week. Farm-raised salmon topped with a season called Feisty Fish and baked for 18 minutes at 400 degrees. Long grain rice(simmer for 15 minutes then drain) with soy sauce. Steamed veggie ( broccoli, green beans, or asparagus, steamed for 8 minutes). I put glasses of water in the fridge the night before. Everything is on the table in 20 minutes and delicious. Use parchment paper to bake the fish so cleanup is easypaper.

Oh, and if even 20 minutes is too much, consider setting a crock pot the night before. Here’s a sample blog. I haven’t tried these specific recipes, but you get the idea.

https://thedollarstretcher.com/frugal-living/food/12-hour-slow-cooker-recipes/

If I can find multiple hours in our weekend for sports or parties or play dates, I figure I have zero excuses not to find 1 hour for Mass. But you won’t have to look far for an excuse if that’s what you want.

My mother always said that God gives us 168 hours a week and only wants one back from us, so we can at least give him that.

Op, we cook the same meal after church every week. Farm-raised salmon topped with a season called Feisty Fish and baked for 18 minutes at 400 degrees. Long grain rice(simmer for 15 minutes then drain) with soy sauce. Steamed veggie ( broccoli, green beans, or asparagus, steamed for 8 minutes). I put glasses of water in the fridge the night before. Everything is on the table in 20 minutes and delicious. Use parchment paper to bake the fish so cleanup is easypaper.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with someone above who said to plow through. These years will go fast and before you know it - you have no control over whether they go or not. I prioritized mass every Sunday even with travel sports. I can’t say if it mattered yet, but I tried. Make it a positive event and add donuts or bagels afterwards.

Back to bribery you clearly have not read through the other posts

If you have to force yourself and your family to do something, do you think you are losing the meaning of doing it?

I don’t believe it is bribery. Instead, it is making the whole experience a positive family event. I remember growing up and getting donuts after mass. In high school, my mom and I went to Farrells. In my 20s, I went to dinner with my grandparents after meeting them for mass on a Saturday night.

Do you remember the sermons? Do you practice what was preached every moment of every day?

okay, now we know that you're crazy. PP sounded reasonable. You do not.

Its crazy to ask someone who detailed remembering what they ate and did after church but not what they learned from the lesson?

Why yelling? Thats on you. I learned when my oldest started her first optional activity (preschool ballet) that if I wanted her to associate good things with ballet, I wanted to not yell / worry as we get in the car. This tooo preparation on my part
/not leaving too late
/not packing her items at the last minute (they were not allowed to wear ballet shoes out of the studio so we had to pack them & make time to put them on)

I didn’t want bad feelings around ballet, and it was up to me.
I hear you on church, I’ve seen this. “Were going be late! Yada yada”. The adult needs to create systems to make this work smoothly.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Enough said.

We work all week and have 2 precious days at home as a family.

With church, we have one morning together (Saturday). Sunday is spent yelling to get out the door, even though I try really hard not to.

We get home and everyone is hungry and grumpy. Going out to eat is too expensive and packing lunch or a snack is time consuming…I pack food all week!

What I wouldn’t give for a Wednesday night church.

I feel for you. We are Muslims and had same issue as a young family and having to do it on Fridays is even worse. We ended up doing it when we could and not when it was too much. Don't beat yourself up.

And irrespective of whatever religion you may practice, you always have the option of just not going at all. Consider becoming non-observant and non-religious. There go all the obligations , along with the crazy beliefs.

Anonymous wrote:Enough said.

We work all week and have 2 precious days at home as a family.

With church, we have one morning together (Saturday). Sunday is spent yelling to get out the door, even though I try really hard not to.

We get home and everyone is hungry and grumpy. Going out to eat is too expensive and packing lunch or a snack is time consuming…I pack food all week!

What I wouldn’t give for a Wednesday night church.

I feel for you. We are Muslims and had same issue as a young family and having to do it on Fridays is even worse. We ended up doing it when we could and not when it was too much. Don't beat yourself up.