Taking Your Kids to a Wedding? What You Need to Know Before You Go
As a parent, you know how quickly a young child becomes disinterested in his surroundings if there isn’t something interesting happening or something fun to do. If you are taking your kids to a wedding, what you need to know before you go is that your child is not going to want to sit still in an uncomfortable church pew while a wedding ceremony is happening, no matter how much cajoling or threatening you do beforehand. And let’s face it, we shouldn’t expect a younger child to sit for an hour or more without something for them to occupy their time, especially when they have to dress up in stiff clothes and watch something they really don’t understand or care about. So if you must take a child with you to a wedding, here are some suggestions to prevent a child from becoming disruptive during a wedding ceremony.
Quiet Activities
If the child is less than five years old, you could take a coloring book and crayons along and let him color during the ceremony. However, it doesn’t hurt to have a little talk with him before going. Explain how important the ceremony is to the two people standing in front of everyone and how making noises or talking during the service would disturb the event. You might even tell him that someone will be videotaping the ceremony and if he speaks or laughs, no one will be able to hear the music on the video later. In addition to the coloring book, you could bring two or three books for him to read, or bring a small puzzle for him to work on until the ceremony is over.
Gameboys
An older child can bring their Gameboys along to play but make sure the volume is turned down so the ceremony isn’t interrupted by the sound of your child conquering a level in Super Mario Brothers. Handheld video game devices are lifesavers when it comes to keeping a child entertained somewhere which requires sitting still and remaining quiet for a lengthy period of time. For the child who is old enough to understand the concept of time, you could tell him before the wedding how long it will last and that afterwards, he will be able to attend a fun party where he can dance, sing and have fun with everyone.
Plan ahead if you are taking a child to a wedding and bring a small bag of quiet things for him or her to do during the ceremony. As well as carry supplies like juice with a no spill cup, such as a tommee tippee discovera easy drink cup. It may save you from being embarrassed for feeling guilty for disrupting someone’s wedding.