It is 6:30am and my speedy husband is already on the go.  He is one of the best multi-taskers out there.  He can water the plants, make eggs and coffee, take a phone call while he is checking email and downloading a new song all at the same time.  The trick is to do this without swearing in front of your kids. 

Our world is faster than ever now.  “Time is money!”  Multitasking is the norm and slowing down is practically a sin.  With all this rushing around, we are programmed to expect immediate results and be instantly gratified…and so are our kids.  In the classroom environment, this comes at a pretty big cost.  With increased speed, children lose attention to detail and awareness of their surroundings.  They’re less precise, less accurate, more impatient, and less empathetic.

As children become socialized, life speeds up for them.  Social life works counter to concentration, order and patience.  Yet, children have a huge capability of slowing themselves down, waiting and focusing in on details.  Our role either helps or hinders this process.  Consider the following:

1. Have you ever observed a baby examining a piece of dust in a ray of sunshine?  A young toddler stepping on a crumb and sitting down to carefully remove it from her foot?  A 3 year old buttoning a shirt?  A five year old sewing a pillow?  Montessori and Gerber both treated these types of moments with the utmost importance and respect.  If you protect the child from all interruptions during periods of concentration and allow for the child to come out of this process on his own, you are helping attention span, order, and inner discipline to grow.  You are honoring the exploration and discovery process that is happening inside the child.
2. “Just a minute please.”  …..waiting for food to be passed or served at the table, …..waiting for help with tying a shoelace, ….waiting to walk into a crowded area, ….waiting to talk to dad who is on the phone, ….waiting to talk to mom who is in the bathroom.  Building in waiting moments not only helps patience to develop but also highlights important rules of grace and courtesy, aka “manners”.   (Caution:  Be prepared for your child to say the same thing back to you!  “Just a minute please, Mommy.”)
3. Pauses slow you down and give your child time to think.  When a glass breaks on the floor, rather than jumping for the broom, pause….  This allows time for your child to process the situation and react accordingly.  Spills, drops, breaks, and falls are wonderful learning opportunities.  What we see as something that must be corrected quickly is for the child a valuable process through which he gains important information about himself, other people and the world.  …and don’t forget, children learn more from our modeling than anywhere else.

“If I have ever made any valuable discoveries, it has been owing more to patient attention, than to any other talent.” Isaac Newton