Are you a patient person or a parent? It may seem like a common topic or reminder that we talk to our children about; however, we might have lost our patience numerously at home or work. Can we be more aware?
Patience can be cultivated and developed with the proper focus and attention. Some have said that patient parents have happier and better-adjusted children. If you are patient, your children will observe and be patient with others.
Consider these ideas in striving to become a more patient parent:
- Visualize that someone is watching you. It is an old fashion practice, but it works. Everyone’s behavior improves when they believe they have an Maintaining your composure is much more likely if you pretend that someone is watching you.
- Remind yourself of what it was like to be a child. We may forget that we were young once, too. If you can see things from your child’s perspective, you’ll be more likely to keep your emotions under control.
- Give yourself a break. It is easy to maintain calm and relax. We can always disengage for a few minutes. Give yourself a chance to collect yourself and then return with calm composure.
- Use the opportunity to change their behavior in the long term. Kids are just kids. We know they will not be perfect. We are their teachers, so try to use a challenging moment to test and show them what patience is like and how it can be demonstrated.
- Do a review about yourself. How patient is you? Visualize yourself managing a challenging situation. Did you perform patiently, or did you start jumping before anything happened? What will you do to be patient?
- Focus on the big picture. We have bigger priorities. Let the more important events of your life take over the more minor issues and remind yourself of this by reiterating it to your children. You are more likely to act by being a role model.
- Count to ten or take ten deep breaths. You can do both too. You can avoid your initial impulse to overreact. You’ll be able to feel the frustration melting away. If you count aloud, your children will also learn when to make a hasty exit.
- Set a goal to be more patient. Intention and focus count a lot. What are the ways you can practice patience? Deliberate practice can help you take small steps to make changes and have someone you trust monitor your progress.
Patience can be nurtured. Try out some of these and monitor how they increase the amount of patience you display with your kids. As you develop your patience, you’ll also discover your relationship with your children strengthening.
