BEHAVIOUR AND DEVELOPMENT

So, is there a secret to being patient? Some kids just seem to be better at it than others, even siblings. Sauvé observes, “I think with Shannon, it’s a mixture of nature and nurture. And she reflects what she sees around her — I’m patient, as is David, my husband. Our lives aren’t rushed. Our household is quiet and laid-back.”

Patience isn’t explained only by temperament, however. “From a developmental perspective, it probably makes sense that children are not inherently patient,” says Laurie McNelles, director of the Mothercraft Institute for Early Development in Toronto. “If newborns wait too long [before crying], we worry about them. In terms of their survival, they have to be impatient. So it would seem that patience is more a learned characteristic.”

Parents play a big role in that learning, through helping their children to understand that payoffs don’t happen instantly. It’s even better if we can wait graciously. Read on for how to get kids off to a patient start.

Originally published in Today's Parent, August 2007