11/26/08

Sunday Stim-Time

Orangeboy is no longer eligible for Childrens' Church at our house of worship. Only kids from 4 years up through second grade get to go to a separate service and leave their parents to worship or nap through the sermon in peace.

Instead, he and his siblings now sit with me, if I'm not playing in the instrumental ensemble that day, or they sit in the back near Dad as he directs the cameras for the television ministry.

But either way, I'm usually keeping one eye on Orangeboy.

He has been instructed that while it is okay from him to draw to amuse himself during the sermon, he must at least APPEAR to participate in the rest of the service. In other words, he must stand and sit at appropriate times and not wave his hands in the air during solemn moments. He actually does very well most of the time. Except for the stimming during hymns and music.

One could just assume he is rocking to the beat; except, he doesn't keep time with the beat. And, let's face it, most 18th century hymns don't really have a beat.  What he is actually doing is twisting his entire body, from ankles up, back and forth almost 180 degrees. And he twists back and forth RAPIDLY.  Of course, I could sit in the back with him instead of in the middle of the third row, but I guess I'm a visual learner and if I'm in the back I may as well not be there at all. Also, you may or may not know that he and his sister are visually impaired and I have this notion that if they sit where they can see a bit, they may actually benefit in some way.

So most Sundays, there we are smack in the front, the choir singing, the organ and piano filling the sanctuary with soaring chords, the congregation all standing behind us, and Orangeboy rotating, rotating, rotating, rotating... faster and faster. And Dad possibly getting it all on TV.

2 comments:

  1. Is your church small? I'm surprised they don't have anything for the kids past 2nd grade.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Not really that small. Our Childrens' Minister believes that third graders are old enough to learn to be a part of the regular worship service.

    ReplyDelete

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