Life is busy. We have commitments and
obligations. We have demands on our time and deadlines to meet. We
even hear the idea that time is money. We schedule meetings, we plan
events, we book appointments. I have even heard it suggested that
with all the time saving devices we have, we are busier than ever.
When people don't act according to our
schedule, according to our expectations, we find things like road
rage occurring on the streets of busy cities. When we are rushing and
our children are not working to keep up, to help us not be late, or
even worse when our children are cause us to be late we find
ourselves telling a little child with little legs, “hurry up!” I
know that for myself, the threat of being late sets me on edge.
A scenario that has happened to me is
where I was taking my son somewhere and they had a story to tell me.
I arrive and am ready to go in, getting to the appointment on time
but my son is not done telling his story. Time pressures makes me a
little irritated, makes me want to interrupt and get on with my
priorities. The lesson I have been working on, is to slow down, to
take the time to honor my son.
How do you slow down? When you notice
you are irritated, take a moment to think of the cause. Think about
what is at the root of the irritation. Is it a time pressure? Is it
something that is flexible? Is it your issue, your own expectations
and not a hard deadline?
If at all possible, take a deep breath
and let it out slowly. Add a smile to your exhale and it will help
you change your attitude. If you cannot be late, then you need to let
your child know in a way that reflects how you want to let them have
their time. It is important to know that for most appointments and
even events you can be late and it does not make a difference in the
long run.
When you are dealing with a child who
is having a tantrum, you need to create more flexibility on your
time. You may need to reschedule appointments, and be late to things
because you need to wait out a tantrum. If your child has a history
of tantrums, start giving yourself more time and more flexibility in
your day and remember, slow down.
