I am really not close-minded Moish (yeah, I saw the wink, don’t worry). anyone whoyou really knows me, knows that I am incredibly tolerant. I have just reached that point of ad kahn with the noise in shul. I spent mamesh years of not going to shul at all because I was having babies, rearing babies, running after my toddlers, and teaching my children the need for them to respect quiet time at HOME, much less at shul. Believe me, I wanted to be in shul, too, and see adults, talk to adult, interact with ANYONE over three feet tall. But I had enough respect for kovod haTorah and the shul olam, that I stayed home for as many years as was necessary, until my kids were old enough to sit quietly with their abba or me. I never took a kid in dirty diapers to shul (something which has unfortunately been a SERIOUS problem with one mom by us, who does not see the importance of a fresh-smelling davening area).
I do believe that children should be BROUGHT to shul, to get them used to the routine of it, but I don’t think they should be brought inside, unless they are freshly-diapered, and fast asleep. The only exception – Simchas Torah, and the clean diaper is still the rule. I once had to hear an entire Megillas Esther laining repeated privately, because of the ruckus a child was making one Purim night in my section. It was impossible to hear the megillah. That mom did no mitzvah to bring her child to shul, and possibly had an aveira (is that too harsh – sorry!)