By Tricia Gillespie
Teaching my kids to sit still is the best thing I ever did
as a parent, and by sit still I really mean to sit quietly on my lap or beside
me with minimal fidgeting.
Let’s face it, sitting still is hard work, even for adults.
This teaching process happened by accident. It wasn’t
a genius act on my part.
We were attending a church with a very small nursery.
They had lots of babies and had to make a rule that all children over the age
of one year (you heard me right – 12 months) had to sit with their
parents. The children who could walk were becoming a danger to all the
wee-little babies.
Sitting with my child on my lap in church could have been
worst case scenario, but it became my biggest parenting blessing.
Suddenly, I had to teach my child how to sit and be quiet
for an entire church service.
This did not happen overnight and I’ll be honest, it was
hard work.
I mean, how do you teach kids to sit still and be quiet?
This skill was not learned during the church service, but
rather at home.
Every day we would practice. I would make my child sit
with me on the couch while I read him a story. I wouldn’t let him jump
around or climb all over me. We would sit and read. At first it was
one book and then two and three and more.
I often had a house full of toddlers, because I babysat when
my kids were small, so I would sit on a chair and have all the kids sit on the
floor in front of me and listen to stories.
It can be done.
Then we started listening to stories on CD. We would
sit on the floor and just listen.
My children sat and ate all of their meals at the table
without getting up and walking around. They sat on the floor or at their
little Clifford table and ate their snacks.
We did little things all throughout the day in order to
teach them this new skill.
We sat in a chair at the table while we colored.
We had quiet time every day where my children had to sit and
do something like look through books, do puzzles, and play with Play-Doh.
It took time. Lots of time. Lots of direction
and redirection.
And patience.
It took walking out of church when he became fussy.
Here’s the key: When we left a service because he
wasn’t quiet or sitting, I held him the entire time we were out of the
service. I didn’t put him down and let him run around, because I didn’t
want leaving to become a fun escape.
I know this probably sounds like child torture, but it
wasn’t at all. It was simply learning a new skill.
It’s a parent’s job to teach their children skills that will
help them in life.
After my children learned this skill, I never, ever had to
worry about going places.
A wait at the doctors? No problem.
A ride on an airplane? Nailed it.
I took my kids everywhere with me. I didn’t have any
family around to help me out, so where I went, my kids went, and I went a lot
of places. I don’t know what I would have done if they never learned to
sit still.
When my son was three and a half year’s old and my daughter
was around eighteen months, my cousin graduated from Air Force school (I don’t
remember the exact name of the event) and we attended.
We were living in the Panhandle of Florida at the time and
we drove three hours to Mississippi in a vehicle that had no air-conditioning.
We’re talking deep south summer heat.
We’re talking about two babies being trapped in a car for
three hours.
When we arrived, we took some time to walk around, visit
with family, and get a drink. Then we went to the graduation ceremony.
People gave us funny looks when we walked in with the
kids. The lady next to us expressed some concern, but we were confident
the kids would be find. My son sat on his own chair next to my husband
and my daughter sat on my lap.
To them, it was just another service. It could have
been church. They were already accustomed to sitting, so we had no
problems.
Afterwards, people were shocked and impressed.
My kids are just like any other kids. They hate
sitting still and being quiet, but they did it. They learned how to sit
still.
Till today, I say it’s the best thing I have ever taught my
children.
Children who know how to sit and be quiet are a blessing to
their parents and all those around them.
I need you to know that I’m not a child whisperer or
anything. I’ve seen many other parents teach their children the very same
thing.
Believe me, it helped tons when it was time for preschool.
What is the best thing you taught your child to do?
And please, nobody say roll over or fetch!
I recommend the following books. Creative Correction is an excellent resource for both new and
seasoned moms alike, providing countless ideas and practical suggestion on
correction, discipline and training. It will become your parenting toolbox.
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