Last Day of School

Here on our compound we have a small Catholic school. On Friday, we heard drum beating and singing, so Tessa and I set out to see what all the hub-bub was about. 1 minute later we had to return to the house for our umbrellas. When we arrived we saw the field had been cleared so the many kids could march out and put on a show for some visiting educational dignitaries and a smattering of parents. This meant that the kids were standing at attention, singing their songs, and doing their daily exercise routine while standing in the rain. I felt so sorry for them as I watched them stand there shivering with beads of rain rolling off their heads - and they just stood and took it! No screaming or running or complaining like I would expect of American kids.

Kids here have some bizarre stoic ability to sit (or stand in this case)quietly through anything. But this is the first time I've seen them do it in the rain. Children, even young ones, can sit quietly through a 2 - 3 hour church service, all lined up on the front bench with their parents somewhere behind them, and rarely will we see a kid get in trouble or toted out. We've heard 2 reasons for this. 1) They are disciplined frequently and severely at home. 2) They are undernourished and simply don't have the energy to misbehave.

I think it must be a lesser combination of the two. I think additionally, entertainment is rare here, so they're happy to watch or be involved in almost anything. Plus they are next to siblings who can pinch them or whatever to make them behave. Finally, the little ones are nursed a long, long time so when one of them fusses, Mom just opens her shirt, and voila! - a quiet youngster.

Whatever the reason, quiet kids in a service are something to admire as our own kids wriggle, giggle, cry, fuss, and complain. I'll be thankful for the church nursery and Sunday school to take our kids off our hands when we come home so we can worship in peace, and so they can have a good worship time too.