Day 51 - Patience

Think back and tell me when was the last time that you exercised extreme patience with a person or an event? What were the incidents that pushed you to the brink and made you swallow your anger and exercise restraint and patience? Remember I am talking about extremes - this is a point where you feel like throttling the other party but at the same time you can't and have to continue the discussion or the activity with a smile and with restraint. You know that you need to make the other party understand but they are really pushing you to the limit.

I am sure you are thinking about a few such incidents - maybe the road 'accident' you recently had when the bus brushed your car or maybe when your friend broke or lost something precious to you or when your girlfriend or wife just would not understand. But if you are a parent you will immediately think differently. All the above incidents are minor as compared to the patience you need to exercise with children - especially when they are between 2 to 5. These are the 'patience testing' years and if you come through these with few scars, then you should be set for life.

But the test of true patience comes in when you 3 year old falls sick. You experience a roller coaster of emotions that you wish you never have to face again. The unfortunate part is that you go through the same emotions when your child falls sick the next time.

At 3 years the child is unable to communicate properly on what is hurting them. First it breaks your heart to see your child having fever or coughing violently or sneezing. Then the child has to take medicines which they refuse to take. So you have to cajole, explain, threaten and play games to get them to have the medicines. Because of the medicines they don't eat and feel listless. This causes low energy levels and they becomes cranky and clingy. They always want to be with you and not let you go. If the child is on antibiotics then there is the issue of not wanting to eat food. That gets them more cranky and you have to somehow get them to have food and fluids. So you have to see them crying while refusing everything but still get them to have food, fluid and medicines to get them bounce back - all this while you are tired and frustrated at the whole situation because you can't do anything to make their pain go away.

Get the picture?

This, my friends, is the ultimate test of patience. How do you retain your sanity, not get angry and frustrated at the small child but still get them to do those things that will make them better is the true test of your patience. If you are a parent, when you go through this experience and emerge with physical and emotional scars you understand what patience means.

These are just some of the 'joys of parenthood' ;-)