I have a “ten-minute rule” when it comes to parenting.
Last night, my two-year-old daughter started crying after she went to bed. This is pretty uncharacteristic of her, so my wife was worried that something might be wrong with her.
“Give her ten minutes,” I said.
We did.
She stopped.
Ten-minute rule, part 1: if a child between 1 and 3 is crying, wait ten minutes before you do anything.
I don’t know if ten minutes is a magical catch-all for all children of that age, but I knew it would work for her because it had worked for her two older brothers. For some reason, when they started crying to get their energy out, it only took about ten minutes for them to settle down.
I say “to get their energy out” because if there was something legitimately painful for them, the ten minute rule doesn’t work. Which is the other half of the ten-minute rule.
Ten-minute rule, part 2: If they’re still crying after ten minutes, something else is wrong.
Again, the exact timing might only apply to my children, but there’s an important corollary to the ten-minute rule that all families with small children understand.
