Question
This is a question about age-appropriate expectations in Church. We have 6 children ages 10, 8, 6, 5, 3, and 1. I have told the older kids that, unless you are a baby or a toddler - which they are not - you should need exactly zero parental attention for the 1 hour that Mass lasts; i.e., children over age 4 should remain still and quiet and keep their hands to themselves, and children over age 7 should additionally be paying reverent attention and doing as the congregation does. This is especially important the times I have to take them by myself when my husband is on military duty - I have my hands full with the two little ones and often need to take the 1yo outside until she can be quiet. Are these reasonable expectations, and what would be an appropriate consequence when they do not obey?
