Todays Parents Now

Teaching children patience is not impossible. We first teach our children to be impatient inadvertently by supplying their every need when they are babies. When your baby cries it is for a reason. But the child grows older, now what? Here are 6 ideas to help you.

1. Stop rewarding bad behavior. If you give into a child when they cry and wine this will only reinforce their bad behavior. This is tough because when your child was born, crying was the only way they knew to communicate. After they learn to talk though crying for what they want needs to be discouraged.

2. Be an example. You need to show your children that you are patient if you want them to learn patience. When you are waiting for someone what do you do? Do you make comments? Our children are always watching.

3. Reward patient behavior. Try to find something your child is doing everyday where they have shown some patience. Let them know you have noticed and do something special for them.

4. Too fast? Life goes by so quickly and we try to pack as much as we can into each day. Try setting some time aside each day where you and your children do something quiet. Turn off the television and just enjoy being together.

5. Board games. Games where you have to take turns are good lessons in patience. If your child starts to cry because they have to wait for someone else to go then consider putting the game away or not letting that child play anymore until the stop crying. At first play games that are geared to small children.

6. Cooking. Consider baking cookies with your children. Go through the process with them and then tell them that you have to wait patiently until they have cooked. This will help them relate patience with a reward.

Patience can be learned from example and activities. Games, cooking and slowing down help your children see the value in being patient.