Open Letter to Cry Room Invaders

Dear Cry Room Invaders,

I would say you know who you are, but you obviously don't because of your behavior to all parents who correctly use the cry room.  So allow me to let you know who you are.

You are the crazy people who come in with your 20-something year old children (who by the way, are NOT children) who are perfectly well-behaved.  You are also the parents who come in with your children who are legitimately children but are perfect angels who obviously do NOT need to be in the cry room (there's a method to the madness of its name, people).  You are also the random people who come just to sit because, I don't know, you think it's quieter?  But why on earth would you think that, it's a CRY room!!  You are also the people who are only in the cry room in order to hide until communion time.  WHY?!

Never mind the fact that you are taking up seats and room for the people who actually use the cry room for its specific purpose, but you insist on rebuking those who come in to the cry room to use it for its full intent!!!!!  'Rebuking' is a nice name for your behavior towards those parents, but I'll just leave it at that.

But seriously, the cry room is made for parents when their children just will not stop banging the pews, or yelling about the fact that their older sibling is serving on the altar, why can't they? or just won't stop yelling and screaming in general.  The parents of these children should be able to scoop the adorable but mischievous child up and go into the cry room, where they can participate in the Mass but be sure of not disrupting it.

You, my dear Cry Room Invaders obviously do not realize this.  The parent of a loud child is usually already flustered that their kid was being super loud, and does not need to be flustered even more by you, insisting that their child is being loud, so they "really need to leave."  NO!  They DO NOT need to leave!!  You do, if such behavior is distracting to you!  If the child is being loud, they belong, and you do not.  It is NOT your space, and if anything, these parents should be able to ask YOU to leave.  But of course, they are wrestling a screaming child, so who can expect them to think of that?

And you parents who decide to bring your children here even when they are well-behaved, would you be kind enough to leave if you and your children are distracted by the little kid who keeps banging on all the chairs, or screaming, instead of telling the parent who is correctly using the cry room to leave?  I know some churches have 'family rooms' (which are actually supposed to be used in the same way a cry room is) but this is a cry room, so please use it like one.

I'm sure that no church wants to have a volunteer position of 'cry room monitor' whose duty it is to kick the ineligible out of said cry room, so Cry Room Invaders, please do everyone (including yourselves) a favor and stay in the main room of the church?  It's much nicer out there anyway (and quieter).

Thank you,
Ice Cream

Reading List

Yikes, my last post was almost three months ago :P
I suppose one reason that I haven't posted is because I haven't had anything to post about.  My reading for school has been too much to leave room for some fun books, but lately I've had more time for fun reading, so I've decided to come up with a list and post it!  Some of these books aren't actually what some people would consider 'fun' books.  They are part of my unofficial Tolkien Study Reading List.  And since I like reading books about Tolkien and his works, these make the list of my 'fun' books :)
So here's the list!

1. Following Gandalf by Matthew Dickerson

I've actually already started this one, I like it so far.  The title sounds cool, doesn't it?

2. Island of the World by Michael O'Brien

I actually started this one a while ago, but it is such a hefty book that I'm still not done :P I am a pretty big O'Brien fan, and I was super excited when Mom got this one.

3. The City by Dean Koontz

Recommended by my friend Monica, of Spilled Ink :)  My Grandmother has also read several Dean Koontz books and loves them, so I thought I'd give them a go.

4. Tolkien Man and Myth by Joseph Pearce

Another of my Tolkien study books.  'A literary life' makes it sound like a biography, and normally biographies are not my thing, so we'll see how that goes.

5. The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien edited by Humphrey Carpenter

And another Tolkien study book.  This is the last one for this list, don't worry :)  This book is thicker than I thought it would be O.o  But after reading it quoted in so many other books on Tolkien, I'm pretty eager to read the whole book.

 

6. The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

This is a re-read.  After reading so many books about Tolkien and the Lord of the Rings, I missed reading the actual books and decided to start the trilogy again!  But I'm just putting the first book on this list for now.  I would've started with the Silmarillion, but our copy is falling apart :P Too many younger brothers left it out in weird places (isn't it amazing that by too many, I actually mean one?).  But isn't the cover just so cool?!  I know that in this picture if you look closely at the bottom, it says 'THE ART OF THE FELLOWHIP OF THE RING GART RUSSELL' in all its caps glory, but trust me, this is the cover for my copy of FotR.

So there you have it!  My reading list.  I might or might not be posting reviews, and I might or might not be reading the list in order.  So no commitment over here, except for the commitment to finish this list.