Do you like green eggs and ham?
I do not like them, Sam-I-am. I do not like green eggs and ham!
Would you like them here or there?
I would not like them here or there. I would not like them anywhere…
…..I do so like green eggs and ham! Thank you! Thank you! Sam-I-am.
Dr. Seuss
If Sam-I-am can get someone to eat green eggs and ham, what can we do with a bit of persistence? Persistence is one of our three power P’s! Patience, Persistence, and Positivity. Rome wasn’t built in a day, nor is a child. Anything worth importance is worth fighting for. Whether it’s our children, our school, or our country – persistent hope and faith in the value of our time and energy toward these things will pay off. It takes three to twenty attempts to learn something. Well, we are blessed with the daily company of our children for at least 18 years. It’s not an option for us to stop parenting. We get this time to persistently and lovingly teach them the truth about life and learning. We are it! We are the people who love them more than any other and have chosen to be their greatest advocate in their journey to learn and lead. When frustrations are high and you aren’t sure what to do next, consider using your paus-itivity button and encourage your persistence. You will never regret using another ounce of love.
In exasperation, we might tell our children, “how many times do I need to tell you…”. In fact we do need to tell, teach, and train our children many times. Persistence has seven times more influence on success than intelligence. Neuropathways don’t become pathways in one or two tries. Just like a path through the woods doesn’t get forged after a couple of passes. Additionally, using alternative strategies to solve problems activates other lobes of the brain and generates creativity. We are challenged to practice patient persistence. It is never an option to give up on our parenting. It requires that we pause, reflect on our strategies, stop doing what doesn’t work, and persist with the same message, but maybe a new strategy.
“Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.” – Babe Ruth
“Little by little, one travels far.” – J. R. R. Tolkin
“Be like a postage stamp, stick to something until you get there!” – Josh Billings
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