Tips for parenting young children who have trouble being quiet in church, during a wedding, at a gathering, in restaurants and more.

Young children naturally have short attention spans, so it's perfectly normal for them to be restless at times when their parents would rather they be quiet, like during a wedding or in a restaurant. An "adult" event that is uninteresting to children can make even well behave kids be a bit too noisy at times. Try these tips to keep young children quiet when it counts:

• Sit in the front row at religious ceremonies and similar events that typically make young children seem fidgety and loud. Knowing that they are being "watched" by the officiator of these service (or by the legions of people behind them) will make some kids want to shape up and be quiet.


• Sit in the back. If you are not able to keep your young children quiet, you can make a quick and unobtrusive exit. Sitting in the back also gives you the option to come back in again when they've settled down.


• Sit the child between adults at gathering. If you can position young children between two adults (especially ones who they don't know well but who are willing to have them sit there) then all the better; young children are less likely to push the limits with other adults.


• Teach the art of whispering. Be sure to practice whispering frequently beforehand, and agree on a signal that means "quieter" and one that means "stop" so you can control the whispering if it becomes disruptive during the event.


• Teach young children quiet speaking by naming their "outdoor" (louder) versus "indoor" (quieter) voice.


• Find something quiet for young children to do, for example: count the number of red-haired people, count the number of kids under the age of 12, add up the number of bald men, count the number of window panes.


• Bring along quiet toys that are only for special occasions. If these toys are only used once in a while, they will have more appeal and hold the child's attention for a longer time.

Keeping young children quiet doesn't have to be difficult, and can be very rewarding when the situation calls for children to be, as the old adage goes, "seen and not heard."