Patience is a virtue. This oft-uttered phrase is one of the truest cliches found in modern society. Although it is widely used, almost to the point of being overused, it stands true. At many points in life, patience will be a necessity to achieve something that you want. Rushing in simply won’t work for your entire lifetime. At the same time, patience is not always the best way to solve something. Sometimes, waiting will only get you overlooked. Because of the various levels of patience required through life, it can be a hard trait to teach to your child. As a child myself, I thought I would give some tips on teaching patience.
I am a bit of an enigma when it comes to patience. Generally, I am too patient. I tend to wait my turn, which means I also tend to be overlooked in certain things. At the same time, I can be very impatient with certain things, such as texting. Because of this ambiguity, I have been working on my patience all of my life.
- Don’t carry out your child’s request immediately. Obviously, this is not true for important things, such as accidents, illness, etc. At the same time, you should not get your child food the instant they ask for it. Don’t wait an excruciatingly long time because this is torture. At the same time, if you are involved with something, wait until a decent stopping point (if applicable) and then help them. Obviously, if you can’t stop for hours, you will need to find a solution.
- Teach your child how to judge certain scenarios. They need to be able to differentiate between a good time to be patient and a good time to step up and be impatient. Otherwise, they may spend their time not stepping up when it is necessary.
- Compliment them when they make the right choice, in regard to patience. This may seem obvious, but I thought it was worth including. It will help teach them how to handle situations. Also, as they get older, scolding them for poor judgement is also a good parenting tactic.
- Demonstrate these capacities yourself. If you aren’t patient, your child won’t be patient. We learn by example, so be a good one.
Patience is a virtue, but one that is hard to teach. Hopefully, theses tips from a teen himself can help.