Teaching patience.

[Millman]

My 5 year old is so inpatient and I just don't know what to do. Everything has to be right now or the whining starts. We have started putting him in time-out quicker when this type of behavior starts. I'm wondering is there any other way to try and teach patience to a 5 year old?

 

[Jerry F]

Give him something of a reward if he waits for you to get something done. I've found sugar works much better than vinegar when you have a little one that is impatient for something. This lets them see how much better waiting is than being impatient is.

 

[William]

I agree with rewards better than punishments. Most parents punish their kids for the bad deeds of the child but never appreciate them when they did something good.

 

[MickL]

I agree with that also. Just because punishing is easier to do than rewarding doesn't mean it is better. You just need to know when to stop giving reward to the kid for doing something he is supposed to do.

 

[danno]

Is he maybe just getting bored waiting for something to happen? Maybe he just has an excess of energy and needs to be kept active all the time. I know my son gets like that and I have to have an endless supply of books to distract his attention!