Tales from the Vestibule

I try not to be judgemental of other people's parenting. Really. We have all had those moments where the judging eyes fell on us and our lovely offspring and we have thought "If you only knew!"

And I have never parented a teenager, so I probably have no business wading into these waters.

But here I go. *splash*

We sat in the vestibule of church at Mass yesterday. Usually that is where people with little kids who are getting antsy or noisy go. There are a few pews just outside the doors. I try not to go back there because my kids take it as an open invitation to run around like demons. But yesterday, the church was packed for some reason, so we had to sit there. And so did a bunch of other people. Including a gaggle of teenage girls. Teenage girls who were far more ill-behaved than even my two-year old. They spent most of the Mass text-messaging people and passing the phone back and forth so they could all read and laugh at the messages. And the whole time they were texting, they were talking. In a normal voice. Six of them. And one of their moms. It was like a party back there. I couldn't hear a thing that was happening inside the church.

I am pretty laid back about Mass in general. And I have also partaken in forbidden conversation on occasion. But quickly and in a whisper. If my kids make a peep, or do something else noisy (like crumple paper, which they ONLY want to do in church?!), they get the evil eye and a "shh" from me. So here I am "shhh-ing" my little kids and these teenagers and a mom were whooping it up and text-messaging. (I'm sorry - unless you have an immediate relative in life-threatening surgery, there is really no need to text in church.) And despite dirty looks from everyone else in the vestibule, they kept it up through the whole service.

In the end though, there was a lesson to be learned. Big Guy commented on how hard it was to pay attention with people talking so much behind him. (OMG, he pays attention?) I was able to point out that this is why I work so hard to teach them to be quiet during Mass. It is REALLY annoying to other people when you aren't quiet. And he said, "Yeah. You don't realize how annoying you are when you are the one making the noise."

Ahh... those little victories. In the end, it was worth putting up with the chatty gals. My kid actually learned a lesson from them.