Patience With Young Ones

[dave4him]

What are your thoughts on the importance of patience in working with young children?

[crazydaycarelady]

Haha....is this because of my 2 posts already today ranting?

[dave4him]

HA, no its part of my class im talking on the introduction to early childhood education. I had to answer it, which i have already. Thought i would get some other thoughts.

[Luna]

Obviously a person needs loads of patience to be able to do this without losing your mind, but is it possible to have too much patience? My mother was telling me about a family function she attended on the weekend and she said it was an afternoon of a woman telling her son "No, Billy. Don't touch the lights Billy. Off the stairs Billy. Hands off the lights Billy. I told you to stay off the stairs please Billy. Get down from the stairs. Leave the lights alone Billy. Billy. I said no. Billy stop." All afternoon. Billy's mom may have too much patience.
I think at some point the patience needs to end and the putting down of the foot needs to begin. My mother was thinking of something else to do with her foot.

[sharlan]

IMHO, some parents do have too much patience. I had a gf who used to sing "There is love all around" rather than correct her children. When she finally did, it was something like, "Honey, you know that Mommy doesn't like it when you run out into the street in front of a car."

I used to think to myself, smack that child's bottom end and move on.

[littlemissmuffet]

I think a balance between having patience and setting very clear boundries for child is vital to both caregiver and child.

I am patient with a child who is learning, having a bad day, unclear of the rules (just starting daycare), etc... and I have very little patience for children who intentionally misbehave for attention, etc.

[WImom]

I think a balance between having patience and setting very clear boundries for child is vital to both caregiver and child.

I am patient with a child who is learning, having a bad day, unclear of the rules (just starting daycare), etc... and I have very little patience for children who intentionally misbehave for attention, etc.

I'm the same way!

[Lilbutterflie]

I think there is a big difference between the true meaning of patience and being a pushover with no boundaries.

Here is the Wikipedia definition for patience: Patience (or forbearing) is the state of endurance under difficult circumstances, which can mean persevering in the face of delay or provocation without acting on annoyance/anger in a negative way; or exhibiting forbearance when under strain, especially when faced with longer-term difficulties. Patience is the level of endurance one can take before negativity. It is also used to refer to the character trait of being steadfast.

So you can set rules & boundaries- and be consistent with them- and still be patient. Being patient means that you can endure the difficult child that pushes those rules and boundaries without acting in a negative or angry way. It is VERY important for a childcare provider to have patience. But it doesn't mean that we don't make mistakes sometimes, we are all human after all!!

I take a deep breath & pray for patience every single day!

[Soccermom]

IMHO, some parents do have too much patience. I had a gf who used to sing "There is love all around" rather than correct her children. When she finally did, it was something like, "Honey, you know that Mommy doesn't like it when you run out into the street in front of a car."

I used to think to myself, smack that child's bottom end and move on.

My thoughts exactly! Children need discipline and need a parent or DP to be firm with them when it comes to certain things.

When you are trying to teach child a new skill or task, patience is king but when it comes to everyday behavior issues..the child needs to know who the boss is. Children need structure and they need someone who will not tolerate running into traffic, hitting others, throwing toys, etc.

[jen]

So, not that anyone asked, but this conversation brought it to mind. Our school social worker suggested that all of the staff read the, "No: Why Kids--of All Ages--Need to Hear It and Ways Parents Can Say It.

Not just for parents, its a great book for teachers, daycare providers, etc..

http://www.amazon.com/No-Kids-Ages-Need-Hear-Parents/dp/074328917X

[thatdivalady]

Obviously a person needs loads of patience to be able to do this without losing your mind, but is it possible to have too much patience? My mother was telling me about a family function she attended on the weekend and she said it was an afternoon of a woman telling her son "No, Billy. Don't touch the lights Billy. Off the stairs Billy. Hands off the lights Billy. I told you to stay off the stairs please Billy. Get down from the stairs. Leave the lights alone Billy. Billy. I said no. Billy stop." All afternoon. Billy's mom may have too much patience.
I think at some point the patience needs to end and the putting down of the foot needs to begin. My mother was thinking of something else to do with her foot.

I completely agree! There is patience and then there is enabling. In order to successfully use patience in an effective manner, you need to be well versed in the developmental abilities of the children on an individual level. Once you have that down you know when a child is engaging in activities because they are exploring and learning and when they are testing limits.