Anna Duggar: '[Children] Are Not...Perfect'

During an interview with Anna Duggar while she was pregnant with Meredith, we asked how she keeps her kids quiet and still during church. We hope her response is helpful to all of the mothers and mothers-to-be out there. 

Lily and Ellie: What do you do to help your kids stay quiet and still during church?

Anna Duggar: I don't expect my babies to be quiet and still during church. When my kids are between two and three, that is when I want them to start being quiet during church, although that may mean they are coloring pictures the whole time. 

We practice at home. Michelle talks about starting quiet and sit still time when a child is two years old or a little younger. Start by having the child in a chair and you in a chair. I start off with about 10 seconds and will hold my fingers up and count to 10. When the time is up, I clap and cheer and sometimes give the child a reward. You can increase the time span with each session.

Every once in a while, I go back and practice quiet and sit still time with Mackynzie and Michael, who are five and four. When it comes time for church, I'll have something to keep their hands busy, such as a Bible story coloring book or a notebook and pen, that won't distract their minds from the message.

It's amazing what kids can pick up on while they are coloring a picture. Their ears are still working, even though their hands are busy. In fact, if you keep their hands busy, they often learn more than they otherwise would. But at the end of the day, they are just children, and they aren't going to be perfect, but it's important to praise them when they do well.

Josh and Anna recently moved back to Arkansas, but while they were living in Washington D.C., they attended McLean Bible Church, a mega church with multiple campuses. During services, Anna would put Marcus in the nursery or sit with him in the family quiet room. On Sundays when Marcus was in the nursery, Josh and Anna would take Mackynzie and Michael into the main auditorium.

Anna: With a new baby, it is so easy to keep them quiet and still, but in between 14 and 24 months, it is a lot more of a challenge. In churches where there is no nursery, you might have nine moms with nine babies ages 14-24 months in the back, and they really can't hear the message. But if you had a nursery, two of them could do it each week, and the others could listen to the message. I think it's a fine balance with each family finding God's will for their lives.


Photos courtesy of duggarfamily.com