Another thing that strikes me is that although there are infants and toddlers scattered throughout the nave, there is no distracting screaming, babbling, or banging. There seem to be several reasons for this. One is the acoustical effect of a nave that's nearly full: bodies on either side of the potential distraction tend to muffle the sound. In addition, the screaming and banging have to compete with the organ and a competently installed sound system. You have no choice but to listen to the hymns, the readings (capably read, especially by the deacon), the prayers, and the homily.
The pacing of the mass also has something to do with this. Yesterday's 9:30 mass had a ceremony for the RCIA catechumens, every verse of "All Creatures of Our God and King", extensive additional remarks from the celebrant after the announcements, and a second collection after those. At the end of the mass, I thought to myself they have to have gone long this time, no doubt about it. I checked the clock when we got back to the car -- nope! It had to be a minute over at most.
They get a "high church" mass done in exactly an hour. At the old parish, singing only two verses of guitar-and-tambourine hymns and dumbed-down liturgy, they routinely go over. Why is this? Trying to figure this out, and I'm not done, one reason has to be simply focus. There's no air of fecklessness, no pointless pauses (which, of course, are invitations for the little monsters to start screaming and banging).
Indeed, at the old parish, they dismiss the elementary-grade children before the readings (presumably for a really dumbed-down liturgy), but then the clergy talks down to the adults in the homily as though the kids were still there.
Irrespective of Anglicanorum coetibus, things don't have to be that way.
