Learning to be patient while parenting a child with Autism

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Learning to be patient while parenting a child with autism is very important.

Parenting is hard. Parenting a child with autism is even harder. It requires many skills in many areas of life. Patience is such an important skill to have!

When I wrote 5 New Years Resolutions for the Autism Mom one of the things on the list is to be more patient. It’s something I need to work on. I think it’s something we can all work on. We should all learn to be patient while parenting a child with autism.

What do we know about patience? And why is patience so important?

According to Google, online dictionary, patience is a noun. It is the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, suffering without getting angry or upset.

Let’s be honest. As parents and as parents of an autistic child how much capacity do we have to accept or tolerate when things are delayed, when there is trouble or suffering?

We get angry and we get upset.

“To lose patience is to lose the battle” – Mahatma Gandhi

Isn’t that the truth though? When we lose our cool, when we are impatient, when we have no patience, we are losing.

How about this Chinese proverb?

“One moment of patience may ward off great disaster. One moment of impatience may ruin a whole life.”

What does the Bible say about patience?

Proverbs 19:11 says, “ A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.”

It’s on one’s glory to overlook an offense? Wow, I think that means we can let some things go and be patient with our kids while they are trying to figure out this life.

And Proverbs 25:15 says, “Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone.”

I love this one because it talks about how powerful patience is. 

A ruler can be persuaded. 

It can break bones.

When we feel like we are losing and failing in this parenting journey if we have patience we will be in control, we will be “powerful”.

More from the Bible

“The end of a matter is better than it’s beginning, and patience is better than pride.” Ecclesiastes 7:8

Colossians 1:10-12

“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you[f] to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

I love that God speaks to the things that may worry us. He speaks to us through the Bible and gives us guidance.

Learning to be patient

Learning to be patient while parenting a child with autism is important. This life, this journey that we are on is like a roller coaster. There are some really difficult times. Times that we don’t think we can even make it through. And then there are times that are amazing and you are so proud of the little person that your child has become while overcoming so many obstacles. Through it all we need patience. 

We can learn patience and we should never stop learning how to be patient. Because we are not perfect and patience does not come easily.

But alway’s remember, you got this, mama.