Is Communion or Conformation even about The Kids anymore

today it seems to be more about the parents than the children

I was invited to my cousins communion party and the invitation was for a party in a pub hardly where a kid wants to end up a special day

i stayed for about 20 minutes before leaving say it was only 1pm and half of my family were getting drunk :rolleyes:

great family my lot (not)

surely hiring out the local bowl alley/supermacs would be more fun for the kids or hiring some entertainment

the short time i was there was parents telling there kids to keep quiet or stop running around

its meant to be the child special day not yours

Wacker The Attacker

It was always like this.

Its just that nowadays kids have fakes tans, limousines and are dressed like strippers

Bubbaclaus

Whatever it is about, it certainly isn't about religion.

Bubbaclaus

Bubbaclaus wrote: »

Whatever it is about, it certainly isn't about religion.

the kids were so bored i felt bad there special day was been ruined

my family hired out my local bowl alleys and had a lot of food for the kids burgers chips ice cream coke etc

and the next day my parents took me to toy store to buy whatever i wanted from the money i received though a small amount went to buy new clothes and was told to remember to buy something in the toy store for my younger brother

mad muffin

Anyone having a party for kids at a pub really doesn't care about the child.

darkpagandeath

Yeah i love the wad of cash idea for choosing the right religion..

Hunchback

it's a sham, a pageant, but its cheapening of religion doesn't bother me.

its an ugly pantomime for the majority.



i 'made' 6 pounds for my BLOODY CONFIRMATION IN 1990


will always be proud/bitter 'til I die

Pumpkinseeds

There doesn't seem to be a lot of money for hiring venues in my neck of the woods. It was a confirmation/communion day in our town today and there were a lot of very dressed up parents in the supermarket buying slabs of booze. Made me wonder why they didn't get it yesterday tbh.

Colser

I hate seeing communion kids aound pubs its actually quite sad imo..If the parents/family want a drink so badly on the day at least go home and let the kids have a bit more freedom to play around.They are so excited coming up to the day that i feel it must be a disappointment for them to just end up in the pub.

darkpagandeath

Pumpkinseeds wrote: »

There doesn't seem to be a lot of money for hiring venues in my neck of the woods. It was a confirmation/communion day in our town today and there were a lot of very dressed up parents in the supermarket buying slabs of booze. Made me wonder why they didn't get it yesterday tbh.

May have been constructing the limousine or hot air balloon or picking up the plane tickets :pac:

Pretzill

CKonetheonlyone wrote: »

it's a sham, a pageant, but its cheapening of religion doesn't bother me.

its an ugly pantomime for the majority.



i 'made' 6 pounds for my BLOODY CONFIRMATION IN 1990


will always be proud/bitter 'til I die

I made 5 pound and change in 1974 (you were robbed)

edit to add: that was for my communion ( you were really robbed!)

DEFTLEFTHAND

The afters wouldn't bother me in fairness, With Confirmation the good thing is that the young boys and girls are becoming full members of the CC.

Birroc

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

The afters wouldn't bother me in fairness, With Confirmation the good thing is that the young boys and girls are becoming full members of the CC.

Yeah often whether they like it or not...and they can never ever leave...

quadrifoglio verde

Birroc wrote: »

Yeah often whether they like it or not...and they can never ever leave...

My very religious mother won't allow me to go to mass anymore for free that I'll interrupt the priest in the middle of his sermon and argue why he's wrong :pac:

That's better than being allowed to leave in my books

On the subject of it ever being about the kids. Yes they're the centre of attention, but take away the money and very few will want to do it.

poundapunnet

I think because of the time of the year they're on and stuff they're mostly just an excuse for family get togethers these days. They're no more actually about the kids than they are about the religious aspect any more.

I can't remember being too cut up about it back in the day, pumped full of coca cola and made about £200 each time, happy out. My most vivid memory of it is practically falling out of the car in my rush to get out of the fcuking communion dress and into my jeans so I could go mental with all my cousins in the garden.

El Weirdo

Next to the children's allowance; christenings, communions and confirmations were what stopped me from sending her over on the ferry.

Great days out.

suicide_circus

Vulgarity

Temptamperu

Kids have no place in a pub no matter the day or time. But celebrating your kids special days by getting locked seems to be an Irish past-time.

BeerWolf

I've not done either, where does that put me - on the heathen list?

Icepick

Bubbaclaus wrote: »

Whatever it is about, it certainly isn't about religion.

Not all bad then

Cupcake_Crisis

A friend of my folks is hiring out the upstairs of a pub for her sons confirmation. When did that start happening?! The best part of a confirmation, from what I remember, was getting all dolled up and being dragged from house to house getting cards. Then treating your poor parents to dinner. Now you're expected to go to the child?! Me arse.

lertsnim

I wandered into a pub on Saturday to watch the FA Cup and the place had unattended children screaming and running all over the place while the adults with them drank. I only stayed for one pint and the amount of people that walked in and saw the circus and left in that time was staggering. The bar manager wasn't happy.

Temptamperu wrote: »

Kids have no place in a pub no matter the day or time. But celebrating your kids special days by getting locked seems to be an Irish past-time.

It's an Irish only thing is it? Wake up and look at the real world. People get pissed the world over at events like confirmations and communions.

mikeym

There was no bouncy castles or Communion cake when I was making my Communion.

And I got the old green pound notes I feel so old

endacl

darkpagandeath wrote: »

Yeah i love the wad of cash idea for choosing the right religion..

'Choosing', you say...?

Turtyturd

Cupcake_Crisis wrote: »

A friend of my folks is hiring out the upstairs of a pub for her sons confirmation. When did that start happening?! The best part of a confirmation, from what I remember, was getting all dolled up and being dragged from house to house getting cards. Then treating your poor parents to dinner. Now you're expected to go to the child?! Me arse.

There was research done a few years back which found that eating so many ham sandwiches in the course of one day while going from house to house had ill health effects in later life. Not to mention the immediate ill health effects caused by parents beating their kids after they got butter stains on their nice suit, so dragging the family to one spot was deemed the way forward.

Speaking from my own case it was all about the money, didn't have any interest in the religious aspect even at that age. Neither of my own sons are Christened or in a Catholic school so it won't be an issue for them. Although their school does offer the option of Communion classes outside school hours, so if there is much uptake amongst their classmates we will arrange alternative plans for them on the Communion day so they don't feel left out.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

So the children get to abuse the church for a day and have some fun...

What ammoys ma is the (even intelligent) parents who go along with but claim not to be catholic.

jimgoose

mikeym wrote: »

There was no bouncy castles or Communion cake when I was making my Communion...

Me neither. If there was, I would've said "quit wasting money on all that nonsense and give it to me, fairly lively!!!"

Colser

jimgoose wrote: »

Me neither. If there was, I would've said "quit wasting money on all that nonsense and give it to me, fairly lively!!!"

You must have been a very smart 8yr old Jim...have you still got your communion money?:D

jimgoose

Colser wrote: »

You must have been a very smart 8yr old Jim...have you still got your communion money?:D

Hell no. But I'll tell you one thing, biy - I didn't spend it on communion cake (what the lanthering Cheeses is that, anyway??) or bouncy castles!

D1stant

Temptamperu wrote: »

Kids have no place in a pub no matter the day or time. But celebrating your kids special days by getting locked seems to be an Irish past-time.

I disagree. I love taking my six year old to the pub. Once every 6-8 weeks, just me and him. 1 pint and a chat. Its nice.

orangesoda

i have seen recently that the parents put fake tan on the wanes, it's a bundle of nonsense

hoodwinked

honestly no.


at a family communion (yes in a pub) i was saying out loud how for my daughters communion day (and yes she goes to mass every sunday) i would either do the bouncy castle at home (because she adores them) or do something like those play area's...etc like they do for birthdays, with her and her friends.

queue a few shocked family members saying "where would i get a drink at that" and the even more shocked faces when i responded with they sell tea and coffee and you can get diluted orange for free!

Dave H

My sister told me there was a kid in my niece's class for her communion, after spending all morning getting ready and the parents organizing the dinner in the restaurant and the bouncy castle and everything else for later on, ended up skipping the church part because it would have cut in to the day. I honestly called boll0cks on it until it was confirmed by about 3 or 4 other parents on the day and one showed me the text the mother sent.

Arthur Beesley

Dave H wrote: »

My sister told me there was a kid in my niece's class for her communion, after spending all morning getting ready and the parents organizing the dinner in the restaurant and the bouncy castle and everything else for later on, ended up skipping the church part because it would have cut in to the day. I honestly called boll0cks on it until it was confirmed by about 3 or 4 other parents on the day and one showed me the text the mother sent.

In fairness, there is only 24 hours in a day. You need to prioritise.

littlelulu

Dave H wrote: »

My sister told me there was a kid in my niece's class for her communion, after spending all morning getting ready and the parents organizing the dinner in the restaurant and the bouncy castle and everything else for later on, ended up skipping the church part because it would have cut in to the day. I honestly called boll0cks on it until it was confirmed by about 3 or 4 other parents on the day and one showed me the text the mother sent.

Wowsers

Dave H

Arthur Beesley wrote: »

In fairness, there is only 24 hours in a day. You need to prioritise.

Y'know, I thought the same myself.




Once my jaw reverted back to it's original position of not dropped

Pumpkinseeds

If religious education were to be abolished in schools leaving parents to take their kids to mass at least twice a month, every month in order to make Communion or Confirmation the whole thing would die out within 10 years. It's all a lot of nonsense really.

hoodwinked

Pumpkinseeds wrote: »

If religious education were to be abolished in schools leaving parents to take their kids to mass at least twice a month, every month in order to make Communion or Confirmation the whole thing would die out within 10 years. It's all a lot of nonsense really.

it couldn't die out really though, there are those who believe and find great comfort in religion, and they pass that onto their children,

my husbands cousins in London both made their communion, but had to do it externally as its not done in schools there, it still hasn't died out over there....

Philo Beddoe

Dave H wrote: »

My sister told me there was a kid in my niece's class for her communion, after spending all morning getting ready and the parents organizing the dinner in the restaurant and the bouncy castle and everything else for later on, ended up skipping the church part because it would have cut in to the day. I honestly called boll0cks on it until it was confirmed by about 3 or 4 other parents on the day and one showed me the text the mother sent.

In fairness to them, they cut out the most ridiculous part of the whole sham.

endacl

Dave H wrote: »

Y'know, I thought the same myself.




Once my jaw reverted back to it's original position of not dropped

And in fairness, that lucky kid did dodge a bullet. They can't be claimed by the church in future to bump up the numbers!

MayoForSam

hoodwinked wrote: »

my husbands cousins in London both made their communion, but had to do it externally as its not done in schools there, it still hasn't died out over there....

That was probably because they had to suck up to the local priest so they could get into the Catholic school.

hoodwinked

MayoForSam wrote: »

That was probably because they had to suck up to the local priest so they could get into the Catholic school.

nope as far as i know nether of the schools they went to were catholic, and out of their friends they were in the minority, their family would be practicing catholic and very religious and both girls made their communion and confirmation without it being taught in school,

if you abolished it in schools here families would still do both, be it for religious or financial gain....

Dave H

Philo Beddoe wrote: »

In fairness to them, they cut out the most ridiculous part of the whole sham.

That wasn't really the point I was trying to make.

meoklmrk91

In Ireland every happy event, sad event, family event etc. it seems has to be surrounded by drink, which is grand if there aren't kids involved, a pub is no place for kids, I have been to a few home communions and confirmations, you need to have plenty of food because a lot of people see nothing wrong with opening a can straight after coming back from the mass and are a mess come 6 o clock, I've witnessed parents of the child making their communion eating the heads off each other, grown men dancing on chairs and grown women falling around the place all while the kids are watching.

Tbh I doubt I will have this issue if I ever have my own, because they won't be christened so I won't have to deal with drunked relatives and neighbours I don't like.

123 LC

thought of this straight away when I read the title

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh2sWSVRrmo

yerra the children enjoy it as well, just an excuse to have a party really!

Colser

Philo Beddoe wrote: »

In fairness to them, they cut out the most ridiculous part of the whole sham.

Then they should have opted out of the whole thing from day one...why go to the meal and have the bouncy castle if the communion meant nothing to them.Surely the child must have been upset as in fairness all the communion children seem to enjoy the church part and have done huge preparation with their teachers for it.
If this actually happened its all down to the parents and I really think its unfair on the child. Why not say at the start of the year that their child will not be partaking and let it at that.

Pumpkinseeds

hoodwinked wrote: »

it couldn't die out really though, there are those who believe and find great comfort in religion, and they pass that onto their children,

my husbands cousins in London both made their communion, but had to do it externally as its not done in schools there, it still hasn't died out over there....

Largely though it does die out, with the exception of people who have a genuine faith. As you said in England Communion is done externally. As were Baptisms and Confirmations in the local Catholic church in the UK town we lived in.

It's just about the 3 ring circus that goes with any of those events, not the sacraments themselves.

Galwayguy35

meoklmrk91 wrote: »

In Ireland every happy event, sad event, family event etc. it seems has to be surrounded by drink, which is grand if there aren't kids involved, a pub is no place for kids, I have been to a few home communions and confirmations, you need to have plenty of food because a lot of people see nothing wrong with opening a can straight after coming back from the mass and are a mess come 6 o clock, I've witnessed parents of the child making their communion eating the heads off each other, grown men dancing on chairs and grown women falling around the place all while the kids are watching.

Tbh I doubt I will have this issue if I ever have my own, because they won't be christened so I won't have to deal with drunked relatives and neighbours I don't like.

There are very few events where at least one drunken relative has to be dealt with so I wouldn't bet on that.

endacl

Just noticed the interesting typo in the thread title. 'Conform' - ation.

cletus van damme

Temptamperu wrote: »

Kids have no place in a pub no matter the day or time. But celebrating your kids special days by getting locked seems to be an Irish past-time.

this is minority behaviour. so stop with the handwringing irish are ****e people attitude.

as for kids in a pub - i go with my 11 year old to watch a match sometime.
don't get locked ,only a spa would bring their kids to the pub on a session - 2/3 pints for me and 2/3 soft drinks for him.
nice time together.

deseil

I hated dresses as a kid and was made wear one for my communion so I cut a big lump of my hair that morning.

I was left with a big tuft at the front of my hair and I was ate by all my aunties and my mam while they tried to cover it with a veil.

Next was the confirmation with a beautiful green and plaid ensemble :P
I shaved my eyebrow for that one my parents gave up on trying to catholicise me after that.....
Enjoyed both days after the church and fussy clothes bit though.