How to Share Patience

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“Have a heart that never hardens, a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.” – Charles Dickens

I love story time at night. Having 6-year-old and 10-year-old kids means that most evenings for the past 10 years, we’ve read a children’s book at bedtime. As they’ve gotten older, it’s been so heart-warming to hear them start to read the books aloud to me.

No matter what has happened in the day or what is scrolling across the news feed, this ritual has meant we end the day centered around messages like acceptance, kindness, sharing, love, or gratitude.

For example, I would guess that most people who spend five minutes with Good Night Moon feel the calmness that comes with the simple practice of saying good night to what’s around combined with the lovely rhythm. Even as the books get more sophisticated, they usually come with an uplifting message that is good for both kids and adults.

This is certainly true with Christine Devane’s book Elephant Beach. Vicki Atkinson and I were lucky enough to talk with Christine on the How To Share podcast about this terrific tale of patience and appreciating our differences.

Christine tells us what in her childhood made her want to write this book. She also shares how it applies to her young kids now. We learn how she brings this inspiring message to classrooms to enchant young audiences and what she hopes adults will take away from this beautiful book.

This is such a heartwarming episode that speaks to how we show up for each other. We know you’ll love it.

Takeaways

  • Christine Devane’s book ‘Elephant Beach’ promotes kindness and social skills.
  • The story features a shy girl who learns to embrace fun and friendship.
  • Elephants symbolize social connection and humor in the book.
  • The book encourages children to step out of their comfort zones.
  • Patience is essential for understanding shy children.
  • Parents should be supportive and patient with their shy kids.
  • Every child has a unique personality and needs different encouragement.
  • The importance of inviting others to join in activities is highlighted.

Here’s Christine talking about Elephant Beach:

Here are some ways you can listen and watch this heart-warming episode:

Please listen, watch, provide feedback and subscribe.

Transcript for How to Share Patience

Links for this episode:

⁠Christine Devane’s ⁠website

⁠Elephant Beach⁠ on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Archway Publishing

From the hosts:

Vicki’s book about resilience and love: ⁠Surviving Sue⁠; Blog: ⁠https://victoriaponders.com/⁠

My book about my beloved father: ⁠Finding My Father’s Faith⁠;

(featured photo from Pexels)

82 thoughts on “How to Share Patience”

      1. Thank you! I really enjoyed being on the podcast and I can already see that a lot of people connected with the episode and the book, which is always nice to see after a taping. 🙂

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  2. This episode sounds wonderful! I was a painfully shy child and I had a amazing book about a little girl who was nervous about going to kindergarten, but ended up having fun and befriending a little boy at school. That is to say, books like Elephant Beach are so important and valuable for helping kids gain courage and confidence. 🥰

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Thank you for taking the time to share your story! I appreciate it and I’m happy to hear that you ended up gaining confidence from a book when you were younger. I’m hoping Elephant Beach does that for some kids out there. 🙂

      Liked by 3 people

  5. Gosh, listening to this brought me to a story from my trip this summer. We were traveling with lifelong friends (just four of us) but we were the elephants at our table at dinner. We looked across at a couple sitting outward facing us. We had very briefly met them. Since we had two extra seats, we warmly welcomed them to join us. She looked at her husband, I think she wanted to, but he was super shy and they declined. As Christine said “everybody has a different personality.” Young and older alike. 😊 I ended up having a lovely conversation with her the next day; maybe the offer had made her feel more comfortable around me. Who knows? But there is much truth in this children’s book. Thanks, Wynne and Vicki.

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    1. I love this story, Melanie and your warm invitation. Your awareness and willingness to reach out are so good! Loved that you followed up the invitation with a conversation the next day – of course you did. It really makes a difference in this world, doesn’t it? Thanks for tuning in and this great comment!

      Liked by 1 person

    2. I also love this story! This is what I am trying to teach the extroverts, including my oldest son with the book. It is nice to extend an invitation and also understand that it is okay if someone says no. I love that you call yourselves the elephants 🙂

      Liked by 3 people

    1. Actually, I did write this piece for you but in a different way than you are joking about. I just know you think fondly about the wonderful practice of reading books with kids and that’s what made me think of you! 🙂 ❤

      Liked by 1 person

  7. Reading together is a wonderful experience. My mom read us Secret Garden, it was so marvelous. I think that being reserved and observant before joining into the fray is perfectly fine, because I tend to be introverted.

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    1. That was my favorite book growing up! My best friend and I read it together and now we are still best friends and so are out kids 🙂

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  9. Not sure if anyone else has said this already Wynne.
    But all these things could be applied to adults too.
    Shyness or being introverted are not flaws, sometimes they are coping mechanisms.
    That said, you do have to know how to be sociable lest social anxiety sets in.
    Baby steps are good.

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  13. As always, I look forward to giving this a listen. I find that stories are what draw us in and it’s especially true for my sixth graders. Sometimes they don’t understand what the story is about or why I am telling them the story or what the point is until the very end. Thank you and have a wonderful day.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. This is so good, Clay. You’re right about drawing us in — and then the understanding that comes after! Hope you have a great week! I appreciate you tuning in!

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  14. While I know of Good Night Moon I never had it read to me nor read it to anyone. I’m too old for it as a child and am child-free so I’ve not experienced its magic personally. Weird, huh?

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  17. It’s wonderful that you read with your children, Wynne. I wonder how many parents do these days with devices at their fingertips. I hope reading to children will never become a thing of the past. You also share great takeaways, and you had me at “elephant!” 🙂 I fell in love with them after reading 2 non-fiction books. So, I just ordered my paperback of Christine’s book. I loved the short and will watch the podcast over the weekend. The week is busy with work. Congrats to Christine for being featured, and I love children’s books that include a life message. Thanks to you, Vicki, and Christine! ❤️

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    1. Thank you so much for ordering the book! I hope you enjoy it 🙂 I am a lifelong elephant lover so I thought they would make the perfect character for a children’s book due to their playful and nurturing nature. I had a great time on the episode, and I am so happy that Wynne and Vicki included me. It is so nice hearing such good feedback, I really do appreciate it.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. You’re welcome, Christine, and my copy arrived today! I’m looking forward to reading it soon. Congrats again on working with Wynne and Vicki. They are amazing! And I’ll listen this weekend. 🩷

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    2. Oh, thank you for this lovely comment, Lauren! We do love children’s books and Cora’s Quest is part of our library!! Hope you get through your busy week at work and enjoy the weekend. I so appreciate you tuning in!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. You’re welcome, Wynne, and I didn’t know you had Cora’s Quest, so you made my day! Thanks so much, and I hope you loved Cora’s story. My copy of Christine’s book arrived today, and I look forward to tuning in tomorrow or Sunday. Happy Friday!

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  18. It’s interesting: I don’t recall either of my parents ever reading to me at night, but I loved story time with my own kids. I have such fondness for so much classic children’s literature these days because of that.

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    1. It’s such a fun way to experience it, isn’t it, Mark? Such a sweet time with kids.

      Now that you mention it, I don’t remember reading at night as a regular thing in our house — but I know my mom read my Charlotte’s Web on a vacation once.

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  19. I loved reading the comments and seeing how this episode resonates with people. Thank you for sharing this!

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    1. Thank you for the feedback! I love reading books with my kids every night and I hope some people enjoy reading my book with their kids.

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      1. You’re very welcome, Christine. There are a couple of introverts in our house, but our extrovert gently pushes us to do things, and we’re grateful for it. Your message is important, so thank you.

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  23. Oh my my dearest friend and I who’s children grew up together and now all adults now we were saying how much we miss this time at night reading books to them. My children expecually my son loved Goodnight moon. Enjoy every precious moment of reading and them reading to you.❤️

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  25. I love this! It’s so important to read with children, especially now when their devices are competing for their time. Thank you for this post and episode – I look forward to listening and learning – 🥰V

    Liked by 1 person

  28. Children’s books are a wonderful medium to share not just great stories but important messages about sharing kindness and patience.

    Elephants dancing on a beach sounds like a fun way to impart these messages to young kids and I love the thoughtfulness in which the author speaks about embracing differences and fostering understanding. We need this message especially more so these days.

    As an aside, this is the 2nd post I’ve read/listened to this morning about elephant herds and those by the water – the other being a travelogue. Elephants are truly magical and socially intelligent creatures!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Oooh, I love that synchronicity of two pieces of content about elephants. Maybe a trip to Africa is in your future?

      You are so right about needing this message especially these days! Thank you for tuning in and your incredibly insightful comments! Appreciate you, Ab!

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