quiet time

the jury is out on this one. i have a 14 month old non-stop talker. he is mostly happy, somewhat obedient and very chatty ESPECIALLY when looking at books. during Church we bring small toys, books and snacks to keep his attention while we remain in the same, small area for 70 minutes, a mini-eternity.

he plays pretty well but not silently and toys only keep his attention for a short amount of time. books however can keep him enthralled for much longer (assuming i have chosen this weeks favorites) but he shrieks with delight and exclaims, "Truck! Nana! Owie!" or whatever he sees in the book.

today i thought was great. a little boy and his family sat behind us and isaac excitedly showed him a book. the little boy held the book and pointed to different things and was also very excited. isaac made noises but we encouraged him to be soft and quiet with whatever he was doing. i had a comment afterwards from someone who had enjoyed seeing our happy little boy and another comment that made reference to his lack of reverence. (which to me means my lack of ability to keep my child under control)

so here is where the jury is out. i am totally about appropriate expectations for appropriate ages. i thought i was doing a great job of keeping realistic expectations for my 14 month old. but is my expectation for quiet behavior inappropriate for this large group setting? should i take him out of the Church meeting during this talking phase? i believe in teaching and training early but what is appropriate to be teaching and training at this age? the difference between now and even 4 more months i think will be huge. but i just don't know where to find the balance for right now...advice? experiences?