Parents Can Gain Perspective!

As their children grow and develop, parents may find themselves
next to other parents with children of the same age - standing on the
sidelines of a soccer field, sitting in the bleachers of a baseball or
basketball game. During the half-time or in-between innings, parents
may take the opportunity to exchange updates on their offspring's
antics, tendencies, and inclinations. This exchange is valuable
for easing frustration.
What can also be valuable is to have conversations with parents
whose children are 3-5 years older. These conversations can
help parents have perspective on their children's behavior,
help them see what is typical of a developmental stage, even
when a behavior lasts for six months! These conversations
may be even more valuable to have in today's world of
computers and cell phones, so that parents can thoughtfully
develop their family's technology policies.
Parents may have to make some effort to create the opportunities
to speak with the parents with older children as they might not run
into them as readily. And then, parents can return the favor!