I’ve wanted to write about the lack of patience that occurs quite often in me for some time, but something else always came up. So, I’m writing about it today, taking the opportunity while Andrzej is still a baby, because soon he will no longer be one. And then I won’t be able to write about a lack of patience for a baby, but about a lack of patience for an old horse, who, not only is already a year old but also can stand on his own 😉
Yes, sometimes I lack patience with a baby!
I hope I won’t be considered a degenerate father who not only can lose patience with a tiny baby but also openly boasts about it. However, if someone considers me such a degenerate father, then so be it – I’ll somehow survive, especially since I know that a whole lot of parents sometimes lose patience with their child. I think it’s good for them to know that it’s not just them. And I hope that these parents, at the bottom of this article, will add a comment with some interesting ways to deal with this lack of patience. It will be useful not only to me but also to other readers. If not in the infant period, then when the child is older. Because let’s not kid ourselves, but the real loss of nerves will probably only appear then 😉
When do I most often lose patience with the child?
Maybe I’ll start by listing three situations in which I can lose patience with my child.
- Eternal dissatisfaction.
- Testing me.
- Sleeping on the shoulder. ONLY.
I know everyone loses patience with something else. I just chose these three situations. The first is when the child is ALWAYS unhappy. First, he wants to be held, after which, after 3 seconds, he starts to whine. Then he wants to be on the ground. Here he starts to whine even before being put down. Next, he wants to be on the couch to play with pillows. But the whining is there too, so he wants to be held again. On which he whines. And with us, this happens without any apparent reason. The child is changed, fed, rested, healthy. It was even so when Andrzej wasn’t teething. Just, the effect of a bad mood.
The second situation appeared not so long ago. Well, the child began to understand what “no” means and started to test whether I’m serious about not allowing him to do something. Example: the little guy starts to pull off the baseboard. I say no, he looks at me, starts to smile, shakes his head no, then with doubled force starts to pull off the baseboard. Yes, it can be frustrating.
The same happens when I tell him that he can’t twist my nipples, pull hair from my calves, or peek into the cupboard. Seriously, in such situations, a clear lack of patience for the baby, who allows himself too much, manifests in me.
Now the third issue after some time can also exhaust my patience. Andrzej wakes up at night and doesn’t want to sleep in his crib. When I take him in my arms, he falls asleep after a while. Sometimes he even starts to snore. So I think it’s time to put him to bed. So I lay him down. I’m glad he’s still sleeping, and I can go back to bed myself. I turn away from him and take one step. But no, scream, cry, the child is standing at attention, reaching out his arms. So I go back, take him in my arms, lay his head on my shoulder, and after 10 seconds I’m happy that the child is sleeping. And again I try to lay him down, and the whole story repeats. And so it goes several times until I finally win. Losing a whole lot of patience in the process.
Let me tell you, I specifically described here three different situations in which one can lose patience with a baby. The first is typical probably for every child. The second is a real test of patience and actually preparation for being a parent who sets certain boundaries for the child. The third, in turn, shows that I can lose patience with a child even when it simply needs closeness.
How do I deal with a lack of patience for a baby?
I wanted to show you this way that the fact that sometimes you get mad at your child is not strange and not bad. It’s quite natural, especially when you become a parent for the first time. In the end, I wanted to tell you how I deal with a lack of patience. I have several methods:
- I count to a hundred (I never actually reached a hundred)
- I close my eyes
- I breathe deeply
- I step out of the room for a moment
- I go for a walk with the dog
However, what’s truly effective is something else. That something else is understanding. You need to understand your child, you must comprehend that the baby is not being malicious to you and doesn’t do anything on purpose. He’s just learning about life, has different problems, and is figuring out what it’s all about. You need to understand this because, after all, these nerves will pass eventually.
And after all, we both know that even a few minutes later, your child will do something so sweet that you’ll be over the moon, apologizing to your child for lacking patience just a moment ago. And the child will forgive you because you are their whole world. Heaven and earth. And after all, heaven sometimes thunders, and the earth shakes. So these nerves are quite normal 😉