Nursery Time

Picture this, you and a two year old are placed in a small, bare, carpeted room for two hours. You do not really know this child. The child has NO idea who you are. Can you handle it? Sure. No worries, right? How about you and 2 two year olds? 3 two year olds ? 5? 7? 9? 12?

Are you screaming for MERCY! yet?  Welcome to Nursery.  

I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I came to my current ward 3 years ago and I've been in nursery 2 out of those 3 years. Which is pretty standard if I had been born 3 years ago, but I am twenty four.  

The first time I got called to nursery was the second week in the ward. I was newly married and my husband and I were asked to meet with the second counselor before church. I  was thinking I will happily accept any calling but nursery, please not nursery, anything but nursery. So of course, the second counselor asked "Would you be willing to serve in the nursery Sister M?" and I said, "Of course."  

I promptly cried the whole way through sacrament. That is how much I did NOT want to be in nursery. Then I went to nursery and I realized I fit in wonderfully. I didn't want to be there, the kids weren't so sure about coming either. I could really use a snack -I get grumpy without one - the kids felt the same.  I get antsy if I have to sit to long and I hate long boring meetings, the kids felt the same. 

I also had the great fortune of going into one of the most beautifully run nurseries ever to grace the planet.  The kids laughed, danced, and played happily. No one cried. No one screamed for their parents. The kids happily participated in a gospel centered lesson.  They sang gospel songs. They loved it and I grew to love it too.  

But running a nursery is still TOUGH work. I am a college graduate that works in Educational publishing and I still spend hours racking my brains for ideas and activities. Two year olds have about a 5-10 minute attention span so every Sunday I try to prepare about 12 different activities.  AND it's called "Terrible Twos" for a reason. 

Nursery can also be a very isolating.  It's hard to come up with those ideas and stay motivated. That's why I wanted to start this blog, to give nursery, one of the most overlooked places in the church, a forum.  

So Nursery Leaders Unite! Or if you aren't in nursery but have any ideas for activities or advice at all, I WELCOME your contributions.