I sat in a pew for church yesterday, third from the front on the font side, right behind our class of Confirmation students. A baby gurgled and squawked somewhere behind me throughout the service, and I exercised the needed discipline to not turn and look. My look would have been only curiosity, not judgment, but I was sure it would have been received as the latter. So I didn’t look.
When I got up with the Confirmation students and introduced them along with all of their leaders, I named the two leaders who weren’t there. I hadn’t seen them that morning, and so I just said their names and added that they couldn’t be here today. After Confirmation I returned to the pew.
When the service ended I stood up and causally looked around to find the baby. There she was, being held in a side pew by her mother, the Confirmation leader I said couldn’t be here today.
I should have looked sooner.
YoRocko! 
I am sure you were forgiven.
I second Leslie’s comment. It was a beautiful day for the church.
Yes! I too, saw the leader in the hallway after the service and I thought — what a missed opportunity for her to come on up with everyone else, baby included. I can’t think of a better way to visually represent what church is about than to have multiple generations all up there together supporting the confirmands.
I was so very fortunate that when my kids were little I served a church with a woman pastor who was incredibly supportive. Whenever I was “up front” and my kids were in the pews with my husband or seated next to some nice church member who offered to keep an eye, our pastor let me know she had my back if I needed to step into my role as mom during a service. It only happened a couple of times, but one Sunday, my preschooler didn’t want to share mom with the church and he ended up sitting at my feet as I presided at communion. That Monday, our pastor got several emails from people who were so moved by that, letting her know that this is what church should be! So very hopeful.