Digital world has made us accustomed to instant results. Especially kids who have opened their eyes in the world of touch screens and smart phones. They think that ‘everything’ is ‘just a click away’. From ordering food to taking its pictures to posting them on Facebook is just clicks away. You only have to wait if there is a bug in your system. However, in real life things are very different from the digital world, teaching kids patience is vital for their adaptability to the real life.

First of all there is no Ctrl+Z (Undo) here. You can not go back in time and erase the past. What’s done is done and it will have it’s consequences. So, one must take action considering all the variables and then make right decisions. For such practical life, kids must have a patient personality.

Patience- The main ingredient for success

The thing about hard work is that one does not get results right away. It involves failing over and over, trying hard,coming at a problem from different angles, facing wrong answers, rejection and all of this frustration can not be dealt with without patience and perseverance.

Here is a video of replica of an experiment by Walter Michelle who tested kids’ self control and tested how those kids performed later in life:

In Walter Michella’s own words “I’ve given a version of the test to my own kids; many of my friends have given it to theirs. Who wouldn’t? Famously, preschoolers who waited longest for the marshmallow went on to have higher SAT scores than the ones who couldn’t wait. In later years they were thinner, earned more advanced degrees, used less cocaine, and coped better with stress.”

When is it time to teach patience

Patience is something, if taught at an early age is easiest to learn. Kids who learn to deal with the loss of a toy and loss of a game develop a strong personality and an attitude that stays with them  throughout their life. Even when a kid is toddler, parents can teach self control during play, sharing toys and taking turns.

How to teach patience to kids

You can start very small. When you buy a toy for your little boy. You cannot wait to see the look on his face when he receives it but you might want to hold on to it and wait for some special occasion. It can be called ‘The Patience Gift’. You can encourage the little one to learn to have patience by giving something as a reward.

Purposeful delays

Do not give them everything they ask for right away. Parents love their kids, they want kids to have everything they want but this attitude is not helping their life skills. Parents must realize that when kids are going to go out in the world, the whole world is not a parent to them, it will not be a ‘bed of roses’. They must nurture patience in them by purposeful delays. This not only will teach kids to ‘wait’ but also will build up your trust when you fulfill that promise.

Dealing with failure-phobia

Parents create such hype about ‘success’ and ‘competition’ that failure isn’t even a possibility. Parents should take it easy and through their attitude tell their kids that failure is part of the process and one of the thing that parents can do is talk about it. The current standardized testing does rank/mark an individual but it does not have to be the destiny of your child.

Do not yell be assertive

When kids are learning patience, it can get quite frustrating for parents and sometime they start yelling to make their point where just being assertive can make the magic happen. Don’t yell just be assertive, smile and just make your point while remaining calm. Kids will eventually get the message that they will have to be ‘patient’ because mommy is not going to cave in.

Teaching kids patience from Quranic stories

Almost all stories of Quran teach about Patience.
“By time, Indeed, mankind is in loss, Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience.” (Surah 103 – AL-‘ASR – The Quran)
Quran mentions patience many times. One such story is about Prophet Younus (AS) and his miracle of surviving in the whale’s belly.

Pateince and the story of prophet Younus(AS)

Propeht Younus(AS) was sent unto the people of Nineveh to guide them to the right path but the people of that town would not listen. He got angry and left that place as mentioned in the Quran. Later he boarded a ship which was caught in a storm. The people on the ship drew lots to throw one of the passengers overboard, it was the only way to save the ship. Younus(AS)’s name came three times. He was thrown overboard and got swallowed by a whale. He prayed there and Allah SWT forgave him. The whale spewed him out on the shore. Allah SWT grew a plant over him that provided him shade and food. When he got better he went back to the Nineveh he came to know that the change had already taken place. People of that town welcomed him.

This story is very interesting for kids as it is simple and kids easily follow the happenings.

Kids love animals and get the concept of patience from the story.

In kid’s world, things that require patience might be very trivial such as loss of a toy or they couldn’t get their favorite swing in the park etc but to them they are as real as an adult feels loss in business. If one handles these matters delicately and teach the significance of patience at that stage, kids will learn it well.

Here are some of the ways you can teach kids the story of prophet Younus(AS) according to their learning style. http://bit.ly/2idhM52

With constant practice, kids will develop a patient personality which will help them in the future.