'Out of the mouth of babes'
The things kids say in — and about — the church
Probably not. But if you have children or grandchildren, or your church calling involves working with kids, you can likely guess how such terms originated.
As children grow up in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, gospel-related words don't always register accurately, and what translates to those little ears can make for heartfelt humor and lasting memories. Whether the result of a misheard hymn, where parents are "kind of weird," or an innocent interpretation of a gospel concept, like "slow Sunday," stories about children in the church tend to endure.
And they should be shared.
Last month, we asked readers to send in their stories about the humorous things kids say. We received e-mails not just from Utah, but from around the world. Some happened just last month, while others were decades-old memories. And judging by the number of responses we received, these accounts can be counted as a shared experience among parents, grandparents and teachers in the church.
The following are some of our favorites:
While a family was sitting in sacrament meeting, one of their children started to misbehave. The father softly turned to his son and said if he didn't cease to be disruptive, he would have to take him out in the foyer. The child obeyed for a time but eventually misbehaved again. The mother and father were very embarrassed. The child, by now, was over his father's shoulder and knew he was in real trouble. As they were going out the door of the chapel, he called out, "Bishop ... help me!"
Sandy
One of our family's favorite activities is playing a game after our Family Home Evening lesson on Monday nights. This particular evening we were playing a board game that I had made where gospel questions were asked, and if you answered correctly you got to move ahead. It was my 4-year-old daughter's turn. I read Emily the question: "Name three of the 10 commandments." She immediately answered, "Thou shall not steal and thou shall not kill." Then there was a long pause as she sat thinking, trying to recall a third commandment. Suddenly, Emily's face lit up with a big smile and she shouted out, "Thou shall not drink and drive!"
LeAnne Eller
Calimesa, Calif.
The event of Jesus' birth was being discussed and the New Testament was quoted (Luke 2:13) which translates in the German Bible as "a heavenly army praising God." Our 8-year-old son, Jannik, couldn't quite agree with the image of heavenly beings standing in the air being called an army. "But this wasn't an army of the Lord," he said. "It was his air force!" My wife and I wondered what the navy of the Lord might be like.
Recent comments
While teaching children about Moses and the children of Israel I...
mo | July 24, 2008 at 9:36 p.m.
I read the "Help me Bishop" story in the Improvement Era...
Phil | July 24, 2008 at 3:00 p.m.
When my daughter Jami was about three, we were sitting outside the...
Mona Lee | July 24, 2008 at 1:18 p.m.
