Patience is a hot commodity in our houses these days. After talking with other moms, we quickly realized that we’re all struggling with patience. So we decided to challenge ourselves to be better moms. This was conceived as an idea for a New Year’s Resolution, but we realize it is a life goal. Here’s my (Trish) story…
I’m not patient. I’m actually very impatient. I’m constantly wishing that everyone around me would pick up the pace. Drive faster. Get out of the way. Talk faster. Think faster. Quite simply, I can’t stand the inefficiency of moving slowly. I’ve always been this way and it’s no surprise that having kids made me realize that patience is NOT my virtue.
What I’ve been doing up until now: On the bright side, I’m very honest with my kids. I tell them I have a hard time being patient. I apologize when I lose my patience. On the not-so-bright side, I haven’t been able to mask my frustration. When they spill chocolate milk (for the 2nd time in one meal), when I’m late and they move like a snail to get their shoes on… these are the times when I let my frustration show. Even if it’s just a sigh or an “Ugh,” I let it out.
What I realized: Me losing my patience isn’t helping. They notice the sigh that I thought they couldn’t hear. It effects them. Venting my feelings doesn’t make me feel better nor does it make them change their behavior. It only makes us all miserable.
My solution: The first step is recognizing there’s a problem, right? I’m there! I have no formal plan, other than to bombard myself with reminders to be patient, to remind me that they are only children, and to slow down. My theory is that if I keep patience at the front of my mind, it can’t get lost in the everyday rush of things. If I see 4 Facebook status updates a week that reference patience, how can I NOT remember?
The challenge: Do this with us. Think about what you do now, how you wish you did it, and how to fix it. Follow us on Facebook, read the status updates, comment, interact, share your story. We’ll post tips and articles that will help us all do this!
