Are We There Yet?

The fine art of being patient is a challenge for kids of all ages. Please understand, I include myself in this group. Truth be known, I’m certain I was better at this skill when I was younger – but then again, I had a lot of practice waiting as a kid.

Every so often my family would pile into our station wagon and drive from Louisiana to Colorado for a vacation. And each trip I had about 18 hours of driving time to practice waiting. I remember wanting to snap my fingers and instantly be in Colorado, but was forced to learn how to delay gratification because there was no other choice. Hours upon hours of listening to Kenny Rogers or John Denver on a continuous loop was the only way to pass time.

Now, thanks to technology, we don’t have to wait nearly as long for anything. Adults and kids alike are conditioned to get things quickly – fast food, fast internet – the list goes on.  If you don’t believe me, get on an interstate, drive the speed limit, and see what happens.  Impatience abounds.

Unfortunately, speed comes at a cost. When we don’t practice waiting, we don’t get better at doing so. Therein lies the problem youth face when it comes to this skill deficit.  So adults, just as we want kids to be patient, so too do we have to model this trait as we wait for them to both develop and master it. 

Ah, but there is hope. I spent this past week with my wife at Disney and Universal Studios in Florida.  (Semi-retirement is a beautiful thing.) Although there were some long lines, most people passed the time talking, watching and waiting – delaying gratification in anticipation of entering parks and riding their favorite attractions.

We were exhausted yesterday morning when we headed to the Orlando airport at some obscene hour.  We were anxious to get home, but again, had to be patient.  However, as anticipated, arriving home and being greeted by our pets was most definitely worth the wait.