Sometimes
when our girls are working on something I get impatient. It’s not like they are taking forever, but they
are painstakingly debating every stroke of a crayon and every snip of the
scissors. It’s enough to drive me
crazy. A project that they could have
easily completed in 10 minutes takes 45.
when our girls are working on something I get impatient. It’s not like they are taking forever, but they
are painstakingly debating every stroke of a crayon and every snip of the
scissors. It’s enough to drive me
crazy. A project that they could have
easily completed in 10 minutes takes 45.
I don’t
know why it bothers me. It’s not like we
have somewhere else to go or something else to do. I think I’m just impatient. I like immediate results. This trait is not a great match for a 6, 5,
and 3 year old.
know why it bothers me. It’s not like we
have somewhere else to go or something else to do. I think I’m just impatient. I like immediate results. This trait is not a great match for a 6, 5,
and 3 year old.
Last week
I took our youngest to the bookstore for story hour. At the end they usually have the children
color a coloring page. Last week,
however, they made a craft. They had the
children cut out stars, color them, and attach them to a straw to make a
wand. It was a super cute idea and went
along with all the star stories they read.
I took our youngest to the bookstore for story hour. At the end they usually have the children
color a coloring page. Last week,
however, they made a craft. They had the
children cut out stars, color them, and attach them to a straw to make a
wand. It was a super cute idea and went
along with all the star stories they read.
This was
a Rebecca day so the day was all about her.
She could take as long as she wanted to.
She decided she wanted to cut out the star together, so she sat on my
lap and we both held the scissors.
a Rebecca day so the day was all about her.
She could take as long as she wanted to.
She decided she wanted to cut out the star together, so she sat on my
lap and we both held the scissors.
She then sat down to color in her star. It took her a few minutes to decide what colors to use and then she took about 15 minutes to color it in. All the other children had finished and left but Rebecca was still there coloring away. And you know what? It didn’t bother her in the least that she was the only one still working.
I almost
asked her to hurry up but just then she looked at me and said, “Doesn’t it look
great?” And you know what? It did. Earlier I was dying
to fully color in Rebecca’s star myself.
However, the sense of pride she was feeling was evident. She had done it all herself.
asked her to hurry up but just then she looked at me and said, “Doesn’t it look
great?” And you know what? It did. Earlier I was dying
to fully color in Rebecca’s star myself.
However, the sense of pride she was feeling was evident. She had done it all herself.
Sometimes
it’s so hard not to step in and do it all for them. But if I had, she wouldn’t have spent the
rest of the day carrying that wand around with the biggest smile I’ve ever
seen.
it’s so hard not to step in and do it all for them. But if I had, she wouldn’t have spent the
rest of the day carrying that wand around with the biggest smile I’ve ever
seen.
And
really – do I want to teach her that everything has to be a hurry? I want her to always do her best work and she’s
the only one who can determine if she’s done her best.
really – do I want to teach her that everything has to be a hurry? I want her to always do her best work and she’s
the only one who can determine if she’s done her best.
Do you
tend to “help” your kids with projects?
tend to “help” your kids with projects?
xoxo
–k
I am really tempted to help sometimes, but really stop myself. All kids learn and experience at their own pace, and even though I am impatient by nature, I like to watch my toddler figure things out!
It's good to slow down sometimes and let them work it out. And we won't say anything if you browse a smart phone or magazine while they're crafting…
I struggle with this all the time. It takes a lot of patience being a parent doesn't it?
Aw… I love this so much Kristina! I too am SO impatient!! I hate that about me… and kids are the ones how teach us to BE patient. It's really a beautiful thing when we are… those are where the best moments linger.
YES!! My youngest (7) does everything at her own pace. The word "hurry" is not in her vocabulary. It drives me crazy sometimes. Other times, I think "I wish I could learn to slow down just like her!"
SO hard for me too!! I feel like I rush them through EVERYTHING. Such a great reminder. 🙂
My 3yo is a bit behind on their lessons a the nursery school and sometimes, deep inside me, I ask why she can't keep up or why she's so slow in writing, on everything! I really need to remember that she is one of the youngest in her class. Perhaps I expect too much from her. Thank you for this reminder.
It's so hard to be patient at times but so very worth it. Thank you!
I can SO relate to this… it is SO me! I think many moms struggle with it. Thanks for the reminder! 🙂