Patience – "Wait"- Turn-taking

MUM-e-Mail

To equip and encourage

mothers of preschoolers and their supporters

June 2008

Mother Maxim - Tip

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. - Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Mother Moment – Showing Patience, Love, and Grace

Love is patient, kind, forgiving, not proud, not rude, and does not keep a record of wrongs. We're probably familiar with these words from "The Love Chapter" in the Bible – 1 Corinthians 13.

Patience is reminding yourself of what is REALLY important and prioritising accordingly. It means taking the time to investigate the things which are important to your little ones.

Patience is remaining calm in a difficult or frustrating situation. Patience is keeping up an effort even though giving up would be easier.

As parents we want our children to learn patience, to be able to wait without becoming upset.

So how do we teach that? One way is to clearly tell them that they will need to wait and then be calmly firm about it. Set little goals, practice achieving them, then celebrate saying, You are so patient .. waiting like that!

More importantly, they need to see us model that behavior. If you are patient with them they will learn by your example.

Our whole lives – our daily living - are lessons in patience. It illustrates inner strength, not weakness. Sometimes it is hard to be patient when you know there is so much needed to done (the laundry, the cleaning, the cooking, the school work...) and one of your children wants to tell you about their …

May God help us to see the lessons in front of us and make use of them as we display patience and gently discuss the need of patience to our children.

Watch perfectionism and living with many `shoulds'. This causes us to lose the focus of love and fun. Remember, Love is what love does.

With grace, we can see the possibility and potential of our children – and of ourselves as people and parents. 

 

Mother's Heart

May I show the unconditional love of the Heavenly Father to my children. May I show them the love of virtue, not the fear of reproof. This brings security, significance and strength.

--

Mentor Mum Moment

I recommend a read of Tim Kimmel's book: Grace-Based Parenting Chapter One

Creative

Teach patience by:

·         Creating a (countdown) calendar – for those exciting times before birthdays, Christmas, Easter, Holidays. Staple paper chains, post it notes, draw up calendars and use stickers or markers. Use magnets on a metal tray with a calendar painted on/attached to it.

·         Planting a garden – slow trees, and quicker veges eg radishes or spinach.
"Adopt the pace of nature; her secret is patience." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

·         Limiting the electronics – life's problems aren't solved in 30 minutes as on a TV programme.

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Being patient with myself and making life work for my family,
Johanna

MUM-e-Mail editor

 

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