Bill Rusin, Principal
This is the time of year when things start to get a bit crazy. Christmas decorations are beginning to appear in shops and shopping centres, adults start planning end of year celebrations and children start dreaming of presents.
There are still things to attend to. Schoolwork still happens and children need to keep focusing on the ordinary things of life, as do adults. This is a good opportunity to teach your children the value of delayed gratification. This discipline is worth learning. Children who learn to wait, rather than being pandered to, experience many benefits including:
- Developing self-control. Children learn to resist impulses and manage desires rather than being ruled by them. This self‑control underpins almost every other developmental gain.
- Wiser decision-making. Kids who can wait begin to weigh options, think ahead, and choose long‑term benefits over short-term pleasure. This supports wiser choices in school, friendships, and later, in finances and health.
- Improved academic achievement. Research linked to the Marshmallow Test (yes, this was a research project) shows that children who delay gratification tend to:
- stay focused longer
- complete tasks more reliably
- achieve higher test scores
- develop stronger problem‑solving skills
- Improved emotional regulation. Waiting teaches children how to manage frustration, disappointment, and excitement. Over time, this reduces impulsivity and supports healthier emotional responses.
- Improved health outcomes. Children who develop patience are more likely to:
- maintain healthy habits
- avoid impulsive eating
- show lower rates of obesity
- experience fewer behavioural problems and addictions later in life
- Improved social skills. Patience helps children:
- take turns
- resolve conflicts
- show empathy
- build stronger, more stable relationships
- Improved perseverance and goal setting. Kids learn that worthwhile things often take time. This fuels perseverance in sport, music, reading, and long-term projects.
At this time of year, when you or the children’s grandparents may be tempted to “spoil them”, it might just succeed.
I would encourage you to keep reminding your children that waiting is a good thing. It might be unfashionable, and your children may not be that pleased about it, but it is worth persisting, especially at this time of the year.