How Watching My Friends’ Kids Taught Me Patience

December 17, 2019

Watching other people’s kids has been a blessing for me. Not only do my kids get to hang out with friends, but for me, I’ve learned how to be more patient with my own kids. It’s funny how interacting with other kids can teach you lessons you would have never learned parenting your own kids.

Loving my friends kids’ like they are my own is one thing I have to remind myself all the time. It gives them a chance to see that moms parent differently and while something might slide with your mom, it might not fly with me.

I don’t do whining, so when you start, my go-to is to ignore you. With four kids of my own, I’ve learned to not even hear it anymore. My children know if they whine, they will not get what they want. Even my youngest knows to use his words. And I see it in his friends who are also the youngest, except when they act like a baby at my house, they get no reaction from me. That is unless they are being manipulative to the older kids. Whereas I don’t let that fly either.

Also, no means no at our house. I like to see kids (not my own) try to talk me into letting them do something. It’s fun to watch them try to get there way, but I don’t budge on my parenting style.

What I have noticed is that I constantly have to remind myself to come from a place of love and not annoyance when it comes to watching other kids.

When you are around other children, how do you respond to their idiosyncrasies?