How to Increase Patience With Children
Parenting is one of the most stressful, challenging -- and educational -- jobs a person can undertake. As journalist Franklin P. Jones said, "You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance." Unfortunately, parents often feel that they are too impatient with their children. But patience is a skill, and with some effort and practice, parents can learn to react to their children's outbursts and misbehavior in a calmer, more loving manner.
Instructions
Increase your motivation to be patient. According to Mary Jane Ryan, author of "The Power of Patience," impatience is a habit. To change deeply ingrained behaviors, you need to develop a strong desire to change. Focus on the many benefits patience with your children provides, such as making better decisions, increasing the chance that your children will comply with your requests, feeling less angry and becoming more empathetic. Doing so encourages you to make the extra effort to respond to your children with patience rather than anger. Slow down. Responding to your children with patience is more difficult if you feel harried, like when you are rushing to get ready for work, to leave for an appointment or simply to finish all the responsibilities on your to-do list. Schedule more time when you are getting ready to go somewhere. Put fewer pressures on yourself to get things done or to always be productive. Choose not to get worked up if you or your children aren't moving as quickly as you would like. Reduce your stress levels. High stress caused by too many obligations, too little money, single parenting or an unplanned pregnancy can make it more difficult for parents to deal patiently with their children. Limit your daily commitments so you can have more stress-free time with your children. Find ways to relax, such as breathing deeply when you start feeling stressed, using guided imagery to imagine yourself in a relaxing setting, or taking up yoga. Get support from friends or family members by sharing your stresses or asking for help. Lower your expectations of your children. Sometimes parents become impatient because they have unreasonable beliefs about their children's capabilities. A 2-year-old can't usually sit quietly through an hour-long church service, and even school-age children become bored by a full day of shopping. Plan for circumstances your children may find difficult and think of ways to make them more enjoyable, such as bringing along a coloring book and crayons or buying them a small present or treat to break up monotonous activities.
