How To Be A Patient Parent

Every parent loses his or her patience — it’s a fact of life. There are no perfect angels when it comes to moms and dads — we all get frustrated or angry and lose it from time to time. But patience can be developed over time — it’s a habit, and like any other habit, it just takes some focus.

Here’s a list of great tips and methods. Try it out and experiment with it to help you become a more patient parent:
- Count to 10. This one really works. When you feel yourself getting frustrated or angry, stop. Count slowly to 10 (you can do this in your head). When you’re done, most of the initial impulse to yell will go away. Alternatively, if you count out loud to 10, your kids will learn quickly that this is a good sign to run away.

- Deep breaths. This works very well in conjunction with the above tip. Count to 10, and then take three slow, deep breaths. Feel the frustration draining out of you with each breath.

- What would mom do? When you find your ire rising, think?  “How would your mom handle this?” And using this role model, begin to change your behavior to something more positive. You can use any role model you want — not necessarily mom.

- How does this help? When you are about to say something to your kids, remember to ask myself, “How does this help my child?” This helps to re-focus on what’s really important. Yelling or getting angry rarely helps any situation.

- Take a break. Often it’s best just to walk away for a few minutes. Take a break from the situation, just for 5-10 minutes, let yourself calm down, plan out your words and actions and solution, and then come back calm as a monk.

- Teach. Kids are just kids — they are not perfect, they do not know how to do things, and they have a lot to learn. You are their teacher. Be patient, and teach them how to do things — even if you've  teach them 10 times before, it might be the 11th time when things click. And remember, none of us learn things on the first try either. Find new ways to teach something, and you’re more likely to be successful.

- Visualize. This works best if you do it before the frustrating situation comes up. When you’re alone and in a quiet place. Visualize how you want to react the next time your child does something that typically gets you mad. How do you handle the situation? How do you look? What do you say? How does your child react? How does it help your relationship with your child? Think about all these things, visualize the perfect situation, and then try to actually make that happen when the situation actually comes up.

- Just laugh. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that no one is perfect, that we should be enjoying this time with our kids, and that life should be fun — and funny. Smile, laugh, be happy. Doesn’t always work, but it’s good to remind yourself of this now and then.

Instead of reacting with anger, teach yourself to react with love. It’s the best solution.

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