Patience is a virtue

How often do I tell my kids, patience is a virtue (how stupid am I trying to tell that to a 4 and 2 year old- and on occasion, a 9 month old)... The main problem with telling my kids to be patient is that I am the poster child for impatience! I do try to be patient, but usually, by about 9 am, my patience with one child or another is teetering off the edge of a cliff and I am nearing an explosive episode of sorts...

In case you have missed the obvious, I'm not patient. I suffer from road rage (if there is a screaming kid in the backseat), I suffer cleaning rage (if the kids are making more mess than I am managing to clean), I suffer cooking rage (if the kids are demanding food when I'm in the middle of something) and I suffer parenting rage (when the kids are fighting, constantly)... But the worst, most infuriating thing in the world, is whinging! (You probably are thinking I'm a rage-aholic... Not all my rages result in outbursts, many are internalised, contributing to my very stiff neck).

Those of you with a keen eye and clever mind may have noticed the common trigger to my 'rages'... Kids! Yep, I have aged more in the past 4 1/2 years than in the previous 25... (Okay, maybe a slight exaggeration). But seriously, kids are, in one way or another, a huge contributer to me losing my patience. And, once you have kids, they are always there, you can't escape... Ever been home alone with three little darlings, who have been whinging non stop (for hours) demanding your undivided attention as they destroy your house? It's just not fun! Really, it's not! And you know, in the back of your mind, that you are going to have a crappy night sleep followed by another day of the same... It can be quite disheartening.

So yeah, I lose my patience. Some days more than others. I'm getting better at not sweating the small stuff, but a new phenomenon now challenges my patience- impatient children... (Talk about hypocritical, I get impatient trying to teach my kids patience). It's just hard to give what you don't have or teach what you don't know. I'm still developing my coping strategies when it comes to patience, so how can I expect my kids to be glowing examples- they are learning from a very flawed model (one that is yet to iron out all the creases).

I think that sometimes I expect my kids to be little robots and just do what I say, rather than be the little people they are. They are meant to challenge me, and inspire me to be a better person. Without my children, maybe I would never have had that catalyst I needed to inspire me to grow and mature. Instead of getting frustrated by the ways they challenge me as a parent, I guess I should reflect on how they challenge me as a person. What lessons do I need to learn? Which virtues do I need to work on? And maybe, just maybe, we can teach each other- or at the very least- provide each other with many opportunities to practice :)