One Minute's Patience

We were out today having a late lunch, and it was time for us to move on to the next activity. Bug (2y) however, was not ready to leave. He was enjoying playing on the bench outside. I asked him nicely to come with me to the car, which he kindly declined. I had that compulsion to just grab him and carry him to the car, most likely kicking and screaming.

Instead, I waited and counted in my head to see about how long it would take him to decide to come along on his own.

Less than 60 seconds.

He finished up playing on the bench, hopped down, and toddled along his merry way to the car with me. How much stress and hassle would have come from me grabbing him against his will? Would violating him like that have been worth one minute? I don't think so. Maybe in another situation if safety was a concern, but certainly not this one.

How many conflicts could we avoid if we took a deep breath and had one minute's worth of patience?