Patience is a major component of parenting. Parents need to be patient with their little ones because it is at this stage that they need it the most. But sometimes, it is so easy to lose patience. It would be helpful to consider patience as something that serves as a reminder that it is normal for kids to make a lot of mistakes in their age because they're still in the process of discovering and developing their unique set of characteristics and talents.
Often, we hear parents say the same complaint to their children over and over again. Irritability can be seen on their faces, and anyone could tell that they are tired of such nagging. According to an article in Empowering Parents, nagging and lecturing would not work because instead of instilling a sense of responsibility on children, it encourages them to depend on their parents more. Parents think that they're teaching their kids how to be responsible, but in actuality, they're just preaching it.
In the process of growing up, more than just being a companion, parents should also serve as a mentor to their children. A mentor motivates and tries various ways of teaching strategies just to cater the needs of an individual. And quite unconsciously, when parents become an instructor, they are showcasing their patience.
In a day, there could be numerous reasons as to why parents quickly lose their patience. An article from Family Life gave five reasons why Moms lose their patience and among the reasons is when they fail to plan. On an average day, parents do a lot of work - from house chores to job-related responsibilities. And just when they thought they had planned everything hours before, something unexpected happens causing frustration and anger. This would then eventually lead to impatience. It would be good for parents to calm their selves first after a long tiring day. They could take a nap or do something that would relax their body. After that, planning for the next day would be more efficient and effective.
While patience could be a hard thing to keep, it would be good to develop more patience not just for parents but most especially, for the children. With this, children could learn and grow freely without always hearing criticisms. It should be part of a parent's job to nurture patience because, at the end of the day, that's what keeps the perseverance going to accomplish successful parenting.
