How do you teach a child the value of patience?

[Jason Kauppinen]

Well I thought this would be an interesting discussion topic so here goes...

How do you teach children the value of patience?

[LiteKeeper]

Does this belong in the News/Activism forum? I agree it is important, but is this appropriate?

[ASA Vet]

Make them wait

[discostu]

Ox tail soup.

At least that's how I learned. The Ox tail soup my mom made was fantastic, my favorite part of winter, but it took 4 days to make. You learn a lot about self discipline starting halfway through the first day, when the house smells absolutely delicious but you've still 3 days to go.

[cajungirl]

Plant a garden with them. Get a calendar and cross off days to Christmas. Give them a quarter a week allowance and tell them when they get two dollars they can go shopping. Tell them at age five that at age six they get something five year olds can't have. Patience is learned in everyday life I think, I don't think it takes special lessons.

[BikerNYC]

How long is this going to take?

[ThinkingMan]

I'll tell you later.

[Howie]

Allow them to become hunters. Squirrels are good for starters.

[exnavy]

Are we there yet?

[eureka!]

Take them on a snipe hunt. "Now you wait here with this bag....."

[Cogadh na Sith]

I'll tell you tomorrow.

[Vidalia]

You put them in line at the Department of Motor Vehicles to register your vehicle...

[Junior]

Give him his dessert half an hour after dinner.

[RAT Patrol]

Buy them only what they need. For their birthday and Christmas, give them only some of what they want. Give them opportunities to earn the rest.

Oh yeah, pray for them everyday and display patience yourself.

[BikerNYC]

Squirrels are hunters? How can I get them to become squirrels?

[Maceman]

I like to chew gum sometimes, and when my daughter was two and a half she started asking for some. I refused her, of course, and told her she would have to wait till she was four.

She would occasionally ask again, and I would always say: "Not till you're four." She eventually stopped asking, but would always make me show it to her when I was chewing it.

This past Saturday was her fourth birthday. On Monday, when I picked her up from pre-school, she said: "I want to go to Toyr R Us and get some bubblegum."

I tried to blow her off, but she was insistent. She said: "I'm four. I want it now."

I just had to give in or else be seen as a promise breaker. So I took her her to the store and got her some. But I thought it was pretty cool that she waited a year and a half before she started insisting.

(She's not always that patient about everything else, unfortunately.)

[Howie]

"How can I get them to become squirrels?"

Have them go to NYC.

[Slyfox]

Babies learn patience beginning right at the breast. They begin to "eat their dinners", like we used to call it, and they have to wait for the milk to come down. Interesting, huh?

[BornOnTheFourth]

My daughter (who turns seven on Sunday) decided that she just HAD to have a pet snake. I made an agreement with her: I would pay her for work extra chores and she would save the money. When she had enough to buy a snake, I would buy the terrarium and accessories. Well, that little girl did it! She worked her bum off at my house and Grandma and Papa's house. Her goal was to be able to buy Snakie before she turned six and she made it by two weeks!

[Old Professer]

One millisecond at a time.