March 25, 2024

DEEP DIVE: Teaching Kids Patience

If patience is a virtue, it’s not one often practiced by preschoolers. There are reasons why very small children have a hard time waiting. Sometimes very big kids as well. As in grownups. Here’s why being patient matters, and how to introduce it.

We're doing a "Deep Dive" into our past episodes about "getting our kids to...," from listening to what we say the first time, to talking to us about what matters most to them. Find the rest of the episodes in this deep dive series in this Spotify playlist.

If a three-year-old can't wait thirty seconds more for dinner, will she grow up to be an impatient adult? Is there anything we can do to teach our kids patience– and should we?

Impatience is completely normal in kids (not to mention grownups), but there are ways to help our children develop this skill. It's worth the effort– not to make our kids more compliant and quiet in church, but because patience and overall happiness, as it turns out, are highly correlated.

In this episode, Amy and Margaret discuss:

  • Why impatience is developmentally appropriate- and when kids are ready to become more patient
  • The infamous "marshmallow experiment"
  • How to model patience for our kids (and find a little more happiness ourselves)


Here are links to some of the resources mentioned in the episode:


Sign up for the What Fresh Hell newsletter! Once a month you’ll get our favorite recent episodes, plus links to other things to read and watch and listen to, and upcoming special events: http://eepurl.com/h8ze3z


We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website:

https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/

mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid’s behavior, teenager, tween, child development, family activities, family fun, parent child relationship, decluttering, kid-friendly, invisible workload, default parent, patience for kids

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices