Welcome back to another episode where I get a chance to respond to some patron questions that I’m sure many of you out there are asking as well. The two we are looking at today deal with waiting and screen time, and with sparking graciousness in your child.
As a full believer that, if you need to, use screens to help babysit your kids, I also look at the creative benefits of boredom, and the importance of kids being aware of their surroundings. Delayed gratification remains an issue with kids these days, and the arts of conversation and behaving with other people are suffering from their dependence on screens, so I also offer a number of strategies to use in restaurants, grocery stores and at appointments to help keep kids occupied while also improving these skills. Regarding graciousness, I outline when this actually becomes developmentally possible for kids, and I stress again the need to model the behaviors we wish to see in our children. I cannot tell you just how much I appreciate you and your questions – please keep them coming so that we can all benefit from the learning that results.
 
The Finer Details of This Episode:
· If you need to, allow screens and be clear and honest with yourself about why you’re doing it
· We should keep up learning how to occupy ourselves in our own heads
· The importance of being aware of your surroundings
· Delayed gratification is an issue these days
· Kids can be in low-level distress
· It’s okay to not go to restaurants if your child is not going to handle it well
· Keeping the art of conversation is key
· We’re losing the art of how to behave with other people because of screens
· Stop ordering for your child as soon as you can
· Audiobooks, music, car games are great for the car
· Card games, dice, drawing, small talk are great for restaurants
· Grocery stores are filled with opportunities to keep children interested
· Consider what is being learned or what is being missed when your child is on a screen
· Around the age of 8-10, children start to recognize that the world is not just about them – until that point it’s hard for them to see beyond themselves
· Kids come in and out of graciousness
· Model, model, model – graciousness, taking responsibility, being grateful

 
Quotes:
“There’s no magical age where your kid’s all of a sudden going to be a patient waiter.”
“Nobody died from boredom…boredom begets creativity.”
“Our kids are just going to have different brains than we have…we’re constantly evolving.”
“Life is great when you think it’s just about you!”
“You can’t bank graciousness in your kids.”
“I think so many of us are more bitter than we think, and so check in on yourself.”
“Watch your mindset.”
“What a beautiful time to be alive.”
“I love the questions!”
 
Links:
Jamie’s homepage - http://www.jamieglowacki.com/ 
Oh Crap! Potty Training – https://www.amazon.com/Crap-Potty-Training-Everything-Parenting-ebook/dp/B00V3L8YSU
Oh Crap! I Have A Toddler - 
https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Oh-Crap!-I-Have-a-Toddler/Jamie-Glowacki/Oh-Crap-Parenting/9781982109738
Jamie’s Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/join/jamieglowacki?