Reverence Is More Than Just Quietly Sitting...

But I would be happy with even that! We considered, since we now have a (relatively) high-speed internet connection, staying home and watching conference over the internet. However, the computer is in a corner of the dining room, and sitting at the table for even 30 minutes to eat dinner is a challenge for the little ones. Letting them play at home while listening to conference would not give them the feeling of having gone to church. So we decided to dress them up and go to the meetinghouse for the Sunday morning session of conference. Ten minutes early was much too early. Never mind that David and Goliath, the video that Kyle wanted to watch before we left the house, was being presented during Music and the Spoken Word. By the time the opening prayer was said, the children were begging for snacks and toys. I gave them the paper and colored pencils, and told them snacks had to wait until the intermediate hymn. While I was mediating color and paper disputes, Jay was taking children out one at a time for some discussions on reverent behavior. Even Kit was destructively tearing paper into pieces when he wasn't being dispatched to pull children off the back of the pew in front of us. Finally it was time for snacks - surely the worst was over! (Snacks were only allowed this week since conference aired here from 11-1.) But even with me holding the bag of crackers, two fell to the floor and couldn't be found until after the lights were turned on and it was obviously too late to rescue them. The one-on-one discussions continued until President Monson's talk. I told the children (Kit included) that they had to sit quietly and listen for just this one talk. Kyle sat by himself in the pew in front of us and was good for a minute or two at a time, until Kinneret wiggled under the seat to join him before we could catch her. Needless to say, I am VERY glad that internet and satellite television allowed most people to enjoy conference from the peace and comfort of their own homes.