So, tonight Ben and I spent the evening with our neighbors/new friends and they're two children. I adore kids....and I some day want them - but I also like to give them back.
One of them is only a few months old, the other, 9 years. The three month old was the most well behaved kid....you wouldn't have even known he was there except for the stroller constantly being in the way (can you tell I'm not a mom?!). However, the 9 year old, who is typically a wonderful kid, is going through a defiant stage, and was throwing temper tantrums throughout the night. Now, I'm fine with that, because even the best kids have their bratty moments. But boy, it made me think about whether or not I'm going to have the level of patience necessary to raise a child that is not going to be doomed to a life of therapy.
So many people tell me that they think I will be a wonderful mother, and when I stress my concern for my lack of patience, they insist that it's a learned trait. But, what no one seems to realize, is that I severly lack the ability to have patience. There is almost no patience in my body. I'm easily irritable when my patience is worked, and I'm concerned that I will not be able to tolerate the normal behavior of a child.
Now, while I do believe that temper tantrums can be curbed by the way you discipline your child, I also understand that every child has the ability to behave that way once in a while. And I think that once in a while, I could tolerate. But, what happens if I have kids, and one day I'm out of patience???? That's scary to me!
