Quakers - children

[OddBoots]

I've been interested in the Society of Friends, their ways seem to suit my own views but I wasn't sure how children fit into their meetings.

Is anyone here a Quaker who could offer some insight? Are children expected to sit quietly or do they go into another room?

[SilentMammoth]

Hi, I'm not a Quaker but did attend meetings several times.

Iirc, the children were in a separate room for fifty minutes then came back in four the last ten. I was pg with dd1 so no experience of what they actually did.

I do recall them all sitting beautifully!

[snowballinashoebox]

We used to come in for the last 15 minutes. We were the only children at our meeting and we had our own room upstairs full of paper, drawing stuff, jigsaws etc etc.

We would often hear a story about George Fox, William Penn or Elizabeth Fry and probably draw a picture or something.

This was the 1970s in a backwater though and no doubt things have changed. The meeting close to me now is very vibrant, loads of kids and they do loads of stuff.

Quakers would not expect your child to sit ram rod straight and totally still, my 11 year old has always managed to sit quietly whenever I have taken him.

[SilentMammoth]

Op, am rather jealous if you are attending meetings! We attend a conservative evangelical church which is great for teaching, support and friendship but I do miss that quiet.

[steppemum]

my grandparents were quakers. We used to sit for first 10 minutes, and then go to separate room where we had a Bible story and drew pictures

[AngiBolen]

It depends on the meeting. Some have children's meeting every week, where children will go to the main meeting for the first/last ten mins, then go into another room/ to the park.... some every other week or once a month... it usually depends on the size of the meeting and if there is anyone willing to take the children out. In smaller meetings children will just sit quietly. If they are little/new hey might draw or colour or brum cars more loudly than their parents and the old codgers who have't lost their hearing would like Electronic games such as or ipods are frowned on, but I would let my DC use them if they were silent. (The silent bit should go without saying!

I went to meeting every week from when I was a newborn. I got used to it, and sitting for an hour doing absolutely nothing became second nature to me as a child. We started to have children's meetings every other week from when I was about 8.

If you have a contact phone number, you should phone them and ask what the meeting offers. Quakers are invariably friendly.

[SpecialCircumstances]

Hi,I'm an attendee at a local Quaker meeting. We're a very small meeting with not many children but every week someone is put on the Rota to run a session for any children who attend. I'm not sure what they do- they always sound like they're having fun though! Our children usually stay for the first 10 minutes and there are books to look at, no-one minds if the children talk quietly or squiggle about, they then come for the tea and biscuits at the end. We also have a lovely garden, so if I take ds (9 months!) We go and walk or sit in the garden if he gets grizzly, I still feel connected to the meeting even if we're outside though!
Larger meetings may have a busier children's meeting, and I'd definitely suggest you contact them first, they're bound to be very friendly! Friends are generally keen to see young families joining their meeting. If you've got any questions or live in the Manchester/sale area and want help to find a meeting just pm me.

[VinegarDrinker]

We always had 2 separate children's meetings (younger and older) but it was a big Meeting with lots of families. When we came in for the last 5-10 mins we sat as quiet as possible but there was no tutting or complaining if the little ones were a bit noisy.

There is a large and thriving children's/youth network in the Friends. I had a great time at the children's activities at BYM and later at JYM and Summer School.

I miss Meeting, just wish I could reconcile the atheist/Quaker thing as well as some people do.

[TunipTheVegedude]

When I was a child and went to Quaker Meeting, the Children's Meeting (as it was called when we all went off upstairs for activities) mostly used to consist of cutting out paper doves of peace and colouring in rainbows and suchlike anti-war propaganda
I sometimes went to a meeting as a grown-up where the children used to do a lot of singing, the noise of which filtered through to the room where the quiet meeting was being held, which some of the older Friends didn't like (though of course being Quakers it was all discussed in the nicest possible way).