W@aiting for Raspberries
Faith - Family - Parenting

Learning and Teaching Patience

Patience is a virtue, worth cultivating in ourselves and our children.

Some years ago I read an article by Pamela Druckerman that extolled the way French parents teach their children to wait. In her article, Why French Parents Are Superior, Druckerman pointed out that children who have learned patience are more content and better behaved.

My senses were awakened to the virtue of practicing and teaching patience.

It pleases me to watch my daughters as they make good choices in parenting. When I am talking with my daughters on the phone, invariably a child may want their attention. They calmly inform the child “I am talking to Grandma. When I am finished I can help you.”

It is good for children to practice waiting.

One daughter has six children and the youngest is two years old. This little guy is aware that I often have some lollipops in my purse. If I stop by for a visit in the morning he runs to me with a big hug, and then he asks me, “Did you bring your purse? Do you have lollipops?” 

When tell him, “yes I have lollipops”, I explain that he must wait until after lunch. He is satisfied.

Gardening provides practice in patience for me and for the grandchildren. We plant seeds and water them, waiting for the appearance of stem and leaves. Then we wait for flowers to bloom, for tomatoes to appear and ripen, for raspberry bushes to bear fruit.

The Bible has a message about waiting.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”

The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.

It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. Lamentations 3: 22-26

In our walk of faith we are encouraged to develop patience.

This post is shared with the Five Minute Friday writing community. The prompt that stimulates our thoughts today is: WAIT

Carol is a follower of Jesus and a wife, mom & grandma. She worked for many years as a childbirth nurse and prenatal educator. She recently retired from clinical work. She has written articles for nursing journals and devotionals. Her novel, Aliisa's Letter, was published in 2010 and she is currently working on another project.

4 Comments on “Learning and Teaching Patience

  1. I am now constrained to wait
    through cancer’s fell and painful season.
    Comes the dark, and comes my fate,
    but I can see God’s reason.
    No one on this created earth
    can hope to get out alive,
    but there’s a reason for my birth;
    in fulfillment, I will thrive.
    I am here to loud-proclaim
    God’s glory in the worst of days,
    and as long as I remain,
    I shall offer Him my praise.
    As both strength and will desert me,
    I am confident in His mercy.

    #1 at FMF this week.

    https://blessed-are-the-pure-of-heart.blogspot.com/2019/10/your-dying-spouse-689-death-is-not.html

    1. Learning to wait well is a lifelong process. This past week I had a hard time waiting patiently (an hour) for a pharmacy to prepare a prescription that I expected to be ready. Have a wonderful weekend, Tara!

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