Reconsidering Children's Church

After attending The Resurgence: Text & Context Conference last year, I wrote a blog post, End Children's Church?, about the suggestion that John Piper offered during one of the Q & A sessions for pastors to put an end to Children's Church. His argument was that children need to worship with their families and they need to hear God's Word preached in order for them to recognize the role of the church in their spiritual development.

Recently a friend read and responded to my original post and I think she brought up some good points in favor of Children's Church. Here's part of what she had to say:

(We used to not have Children's Church). Everyone did sit in church together for the duration. Result? Stressed out parents trying to keep their little ones from being fidgety and bored, frustrated kids who did not look forward to coming to church. In talking with a handful of adults we found that "being made" to stay in church proved to be detrimental to their view of church as they matured. Our decision to start church 'just for kids' was actually a result of our wanting to teach the Bible to the next generation, but to create an environment they would enjoy and look forward to coming to, rather than the opposite. We time it so that the children are present for some of the beginning elements of corporate worship with their families, and then dismiss them a bit before the sermon so they can go hear a "sermon" that is appropriate for their cognitive development. I feel pretty strongly about what I see to be the positive elements and outcomes of this! What we have seen in the 5.5 years is that when the kids get a bit older, they become "bored" with the "little kids church" and DESIRE to come to "Big Church."

I'm interested to hear what others think about this issue? I see where Piper is coming from, but I also understand and appreciate the points raised above. What do you think? What do your experiences tell you about what might be the best approach for helping children know Christ and appreciate the Church?