Park It!

About the time my oldest child was 11 months old, I found myself in a quandary. I did not know how to get him to sit still, even for a few minutes! He was an early walker (just before 10 months), and loved being mobile. That was great in most situations, but we were living in Japan at the time, and there were certain situations in which that was not great, like during train rides!  Our church also did not have a "cry room" or anything like that, nor were the messages able to be heard through a speaker in the hallway, so I missed the majority of the church service week after week, because our little guy was just "incapable" of sitting still! That is when my dear husband suggested we teach him at home how to sit still. He was never expected to do it at home, so how could we expect him to do in public what he had never learned how to do? He definitely had a point, so I started "park it" training. I simply sat him in my lap, facing away from me, and said "sit" in a nice, firm voice. When he got bored with that (about 15 seconds later), and started to squirm, I gave him a mild swat on the fanny, re-parked him in my lap and said "sit".  Repeat scenario about fifty-nine times! He finally gave up trying to get down and just sat there. For the first time ever! Victory! I did not let him down immediately. I waited about two whole minutes, and then let him down, while he was still cooperating, praising him extravagantly for sitting so nice like such a big boy! We did this a couple of times a day, starting on a Monday, and by the following Sunday, he sat with us ALL the way through church! I was so amazed, and my husband was impressed too! It was so nice to be back in church! I have continued to do this regularly with all of my children, starting with the others around 6 months old or so, or as soon as they start wanting to wiggle around.  But all the way up to my 6 year old, they all need reminders on how to do this. It does not come naturally to children, but I believe that they not only can be taught how, but that it is beneficial to them to learn how. (Not to mention beneficial to you!) Our children are not perfect at this, and they have all had their days of needing to be taken out during a meeting for a "friendly reminder", but for the most part, they do well. We have been able to take them to weddings and funerals with us and expect them to behave themselves. It is truly a skill that comes in handy! Now that we have multiple children, our "park it" times usually take place in the kitchen, with kitchen chairs all against the wall, as in the picture. I do not allow them to talk during this time, nor touch one another. And if I need to make a phone call or something like that, this training time is a great time to get it done!