02/21/2025
Learning to be patient and wait is trait we all need
Kids need to learn the art of waiting.
That means no phones in certain settings.
While waiting in line, sitting at the doctor’s office, when their barber is running late, waiting for food to show up in a restaurant, waiting for a show to start…
My kids don’t have phones so they don’t have a choice.
But I model it by staying off my phone while we wait together. Sitting quietly. Staying patient.
Sometimes I use the opportunity to make small talk with my growing humans, another skill that will come in handy throughout their life.
Kids need to know what real life looks like and they can’t experience it with their face buried in a phone.
They need to learn how to engage with the real world and the real world is not the same as what they experience on their phone.
So far I’ve noticed that these boundaries with technology are easiest to enforce by not allowing the behavior from the start- my kids don’t know any different even though they see kids their age with phones in all of these settings.
But it’s also never too late to start and it’s never too late for us either!
Maybe the next time you go out to eat with your family, no phones in the restaurant. Or while standing in line.
Show them the art of waiting. And people-watching to pass the time…
The world is rich with lessons, but we miss them if we don’t look up.
