Time Flies...

But Not When You're Waiting with a Toddler!

By
Relationship Advice Expert April Masini

Dating Tips and Advice

Q: Dear April Masini,

My three-year-old becomes absolutely unbearable in any situation where patience is required. He can't wait in line, he can't wait for me to get him locked into his child safety seat, he can't wait anywhere! It's getting crazy -- I feel like I can't take him out in public anymore because he throws such a tantrum.

How do I teach him to wait?

Sincerely,

Patient Mom 

A:

Dear Patient Mom,

One of the most important things to remember when waiting with your toddler or preschooler is that waiting is part of life.

Many times parents try to help their children skip over the difficult parts of life rather than teaching them to accept them. When children get the message that waiting is a bad thing, they will spend their lives miserable when they have to wait. What's more productive is to teach your child that waiting and other mildly unpleasant things are a part of life and don't have to be seen as something to avoid. They are merely something to endure.

Teaching your child to get out of waiting adds to the ADD culture we live in. So many parents are petrified of their child being bored, and they carry quick fixes to help kids stay engaged without realizing that they may be doing more harm than good. It's not natural for children to stimulated 24/7. It's natural for all humans to go through periods of boredom and having "nothing to do". It is these situations that allow kids to become calm and/or creative.

April Masini -- nicknamed "the new millennium's Dear Abby" by the media, is author of the best-selling books Date Out Of Your League and Think & Date Like A Man, the two (just released) step-by-step dating and relationship manuals, Ideas for a Fun Date and Romantic Date Ideas, and the critically acclaimed dating and relationship online magazine www.AskApril.com.

Date Out Of Your League Think & Date Like a Man Ideas for a Fun Date Romantic Date Ideas

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