Word of the Week - 29th March 2014

I have read and enjoyed a few Word of the Week blog posts recently, including my sister-in-laws, and it is such a lovely idea I wanted to join in. (For those who don’t know Word of the Week is a weekly linky were you can reflect back on the past week and sum it up in one word).

So my first word of the week is:

PATIENCE

And my goodness me have I needed a lot of it this week. As mothers I think we all know that we could do with an unending supply, however this week has been a true test.

First CJ has been poorly. Always horrible when one of them is struck down by a bug, and time at nursery means they seem to be coming thick and fast. This time started with a phone call to come and collect her after a projectile vomit incident. Fever, lack of appetite and restless sleep have left her feel understandably miserable, and has made my already demanding 2 year old, exceptionally needy.

So it is not just me who has needed extra patience this week, IK has too. I always find it hard splitting my time fairly between the two girls, but when one is poorly and in need of extra attention, it becomes even more challenging. My big girl has coped admirably though, understanding the need to wait. She has learned over the past 20 months that I might not be able to help her immediately, but it will always get to her turn. She is also very good at helping me with little jobs, so she can have what she wants quicker!

One of my favourite quotes at the moment is

“Patience is not our ability to wait, but how we behave whilst we are waiting”

I think patience is such an important skill for my girls to learn. So much of what we want in life requires it to some degree or another, yet despite the frequent opportunities we get to practice it, how many of us can truly say we are patient? I know I am not. However, I want to be and I know that the best way to teach my children anything is by example.

Whether it has been waiting for the delivery man with the new bed, waiting on hold for plusnet to resolve my problem (which they haven’t!), or waiting for the girls to put their shoes on so we can leave the house, I have made a conscious effort to be calmer, to practice patience. So even after a stressful week at work, a poorly child and yet more wrangling with various organisations I feel surprisingly calm and in control, an unexpected outcome of trying to be more patient.