To be Catholic

I just loved this post on The Other Lion and I had to take a chance to reply.
My husband, having not been brought up in the church (any religion), really made me upset the first time we went to church together on a regular Sunday. I think that the first time we went to church together was for my Mom's funeral, but since then I have been going every Sunday. Anyhow, so what happened is this: I am Catholic. Fundi hadn't been to church for anything other than weddings or funerals, and was pretty clueless about the Catholic "Rules" of church-going. More specifically, he was clueless about how close you could sit to the alter without standing out like a sore thumb. Now, my family had always gone to church. I had three sisters and the six of us would sit about four or five pews from the back of the church, always on the right side as you walk in. When my (soon to be) husband marched me up to the front of church and sat in the third pew from the front, I was REALLY irritated. I gave him the silent treatment through church and then afterward he asked what the problem was. I said that I felt like I was a freak-on-parade being march up to the front of church for an average Sunday service. I explained that only people who were holier than holy sit that close and that I didn't want to stand out. He explained his reasoning: if other people were in front of him, he couldn't see and therefore couldn't concentrate on what was going on and what was being said. I, personally do not have this problem and couldn't agree with his reasoning. Get some Ritalin, already! I do know that there are some people who do have this problem, but I would not think that my husband would be one of those people. He is the one who has too much concentrating power, if you ask me. He can stare at a book, the TV, a video game, whatever, and a bomb could go off but he would not typically recognize that anything other than what he is involved in is happening around him. The next week he did the same thing. And so it went.
Fast forward about two years. Captain was colicky and needed to know what was going on (and still does). For once, I was happy to be going to the front. Captain could see what was going on and I could at least get a little bit out of the service.
Fast forward another two years. Captain and Burbles have a great relationship with our priest. Every (Saturday or) Sunday we sit four pews from the front of the church on the right side as you are going in. Captain even knows exactly where to go. The same entourage of people sit near us every Sunday. This includes my father, his Girlfriend, and Fundi's Mom. They are our helpers. Then there is the police officer, the beautiful family, and a few others who round out the happy crowd who are happy to help out in a time of crisis. This sitting up front business is kinda fun now. The kids enjoy being near the same people week after week. Mostly, though, are the people who watch the kids from afar. They talk to me after mass (or in the gas station) about how well behaved (HAHAHAHAHA) our children are and how nice it is to watch them every week. They are NOT good for Fundi and I, but they are good for those other people to whom they make their rounds on Sunday. Sometimes they even go to communion with other people. These other people enjoy having the kids around. Even the Father R talks to the kids specifically when he is giving his sermon. I feel for the most part that it is welcome for us to sit up front. Oh, I know, there are those people who feel that we should be back in the "Cry Room", but for the most part I think most of the other church-goers have been there and done that, and they are happy to see a young family so active in the church. There are only about three other couples who attend our church regularly who are under thirty. I thank them for that. I thank them for being understanding and I thank them for helping us out during church, because, as most parents know: children behave better for other people than they do for their parents.
We'll see you Sunday, same time, same place.