Testimonies

Testimonies, Tips and Tidbits Administrative Challenges Children Picking Up Children

by Robin Ulbredtch
04/01/17
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Children Picking Up Other Children

Another challenge presented itself in Children's Church, when parents would send siblings under the age of 12 years old to pick up their younger brothers and sisters.

One day my eyes were drawn to a couple of brothers who were only two or three years apart in age. They were standing in the hallway arguing. The older brother was trying to get his younger brother to cooperate with him, and go meet their parents in the sanctuary. It was something like a power struggle, with the smallest one saying, “You’re not my boss!” As I made my way over to the boys, they quickly resolved the issue and went to find their parents.

Frequently the younger sibling will try to run away from the older one or the two children will stand in the hallway and argue. The younger sibling will rebel against the authority given the older one. Eventually both will get angry, stomp their feet, and walk away.

Another challenge was when the young children would run through the hallway, nearly running over others or yelling across the hallway at other children they saw. The children’s uncontrollable behavior, along with having about 30 children leaving at once, led me to add a safety precaution and require the parents to pick up their children after Children’s Church. I didn’t want any children getting hurt in the church because of the confusion.

So church administrators, you may want to examine your procedures regarding children coming and going from various activities and add some safety rules so no one gets injured.