With the holiday close at hand, I realize that the coming weeks will have me spending entirely too much time shopping.... I’m sure a few of you can empathize with me on this one. In the past, while standing in lines that seemed longer than any other I had ever stood in, I've noticed many exhausted children tugging mercilessly at their parents leg demanding attention. I'm sure it wasn't YOUR child... or maybe it was.
Regardless, frazzled parents would plead with their little one to be patient. (Somehow forgetting that their child has been in tow for the last 5 hours.) Some may offer bribes of promised goodies, or throw in a threat or two, hoping that one of these will work. I think I even may have overheard the grand daddy of them all murmured- “Santa doesn't bring toys to screaming little girls who embarrass their mommies in the mall!”
With all of the hustle and bustle of our everyday lives sometimes we may forget whom we are dealing with. These are the precious ones in our lives. The very ones that we work so hard to provide for, the ones who have changed our lives for the better. Keep this in mind!
We usually encounter several opportunities each day to demonstrate patience.
Say your child asks for your attention, and you reply “just a minute”, they have a very limited understanding of time. I'm pretty sure that 'just a minute' to them is about 12 seconds.
In a short while they come to you again, you remind them to be patient.
At 4 years old, it’s hard to know what being patient looks like exactly.
If you are a bit creative and more descriptive, something like, “When I’m finished loading the dishwasher I can help you with that.” they have something concrete to judge their waiting time by.
They will also be more “patient” if they are busy doing something. Just as we adults don’t like to feel like we are idle and wasting our time, your child will feel better if they are directed to an activity while they are waiting. Remember that receipt and pen in your purse? Now would be a good time to offer Susie an opportunity to create a special note for Grandma June.
Once you are ready to give them that attention, praise them for their patience. “Wow, you are so patient! You must be growing up!”
Here’s a challenge for all of us. Demonstrate patience each day right in front of your child. Let them know that this is what patience looks like. Here are some examples that we can exercise the whole “Look at me, I am a calm, patient parent” thing:
* When you’re stuck on the 405 with no end to the traffic in sight
* Standing in the line at the market waiting for a price check
* Waiting for your food at a busy restaurant
Maybe you could say something like, “Hmmm.... looks like we’re going to have to be very patient. This may take awhile.” Then you can follow up with an activity such as I spy, or ask if they can think of a word that begins with “s”?
By drawing attention to this virtue in our daily lives, we can help our children become patient. In doing so, we are helping them to develop a characteristic that will impact their lives forever. As we all know, living in L.A., gives us many chances to wait patiently!
How have you helped the children in your life to be patient?
Comment below and share it with the world.
-Miss DeAnna
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I try to give my son something fun to do while we wait. It often goes something like this: clap your hands 3 times, turn around twice, stand on one foot and then touch your toes. Then, on to the next mission!! He loves it and he's learning to follow a string of directions (remembering the order), plus a whole ton of other skills, body parts, numbers, balance, etc. It makes it more fun for everyone. Singing songs together (especially ones with activities for the hands) is also fun for us.
Post a Comment