I used to think I was a pretty patient person… of course this was before I had kids and became a stay at home mom.  I based this belief on the fact that I usually don’t mind waiting in lines, even “black Friday” type of lines, but truthfully speaking, this probably just means I’m a tenacious shopper.

My true colors came out though when I became a parent and my capacity for “long-suffering” (as patience is defined) was really put to the test.  I can truly say that parenting brings out the best – and worst – in you.  Emotionally and mentally, I’ve been stretched and pushed to the limit so many times that I no longer pray for patience for fear that I’ll find myself in a situation where I’ll need to be patient (I’m only half-joking about this).

I’ve had my fair share of meltdowns, one time during which my mom found me with my head in my hands and both kids crying their heads off in our bedroom closet waiting for back-up to arrive.  That was surely one of my less glamorous moments as a mom!It seems like an almost next to impossible task to try to stay calm, cool and collected when you come face to face (quite literally) with people half your size, who are twice as loud as you are, and are inconsolable with a capital I!

The thought occurred to me that maybe the only way you can remain patient with kids is to become like a robot.  Being a robot means there are no emotions involved because robots operate solely on facts.  Bottom line, I would no longer feel frustrated, angry or impatient regardless of what ridiculous situation I found myself in with the kids!

Image courtesy of supakitmod/freedigitalphotos.net

I actually tried this robot method once during one of E’s cows – we were driving in the car and for some reason he had taken off his socks and shoes and was demanding that I put them back on for him RIGHT NOW!  I like to think I’m Supermom, but unless I had two heads and four hands, there was no way I could accomplish this feat.  And believe me, I tried explaining this to E, who promptly started screaming and kicking my seat as soon as he heard the word “wait”.  So I went robot style – I turned off my feelings, bit my tongue and concentrated on the kid’s song playing at the moment (quite appropriately, I might add!), “Jimmy crack corn and I don’t care”, all the while trying to ignore the back massage I was receiving.  You would think his little bare feet would have been sore after that twenty minute ride, but obviously I had given birth to a son with feet of steel.

Somehow we made it home in one piece, me with tense shoulders up to my ears and poor C with some ringing in her ears (but to be fair, E’s had to put up with her tantrums, too).  After E calmed down a bit, I put his socks and shoes back on, though all the while scowling and growling under my breath.  Looking back, had I succeeded at being patient in that situation?  Um,not really.  Sure, I hadn’t yelled out loud, but inside I was like a bull ready to charge!

So I’ve been thinking, what is the real secret to being patient with kids?  I finally realized it’s about being empathic and putting yourself in their little shoes (assuming they have taken them off – ha!) and understanding that they’re like little aliens who were dropped off into this strange world and are learning to cope with their many limitations and often overwhelming feelings of frustration and anxiety.  And once we understand where kids are coming from, we can exercise humility, which is at the core of patience.  It’s this humility that gives us the capacity to put aside the demands and expectations that revolve around us (perhaps for our kids to behave like mature adults so we don’t have to?) and make it about someone else.  That’s when the true colors of love really come out and everyone and everything is better because of it.

No one ever said long suffering would be easy (hence the word suffering!), but for the sake of loving our kids, it’s worth the effort.  I’m definitely going to try this method, instead of the robot one, the next time I (gulp!) need to be patient. Sigh, being a parent really does bring out the worst – and best – in you, doesn’t it?

One of my favorite passages from 1 Corinthians 13 that talks about patience: ⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.