Delayed Gratification

There was a pretty interesting article in the New Yorker on determining future measures of success by testing a child's ability to succeed in delaying gratification.

Once Mischel began analyzing the results, he noticed that low delayers, the children who rang the bell quickly, seemed more likely to have behavioral problems, both in school and at home. They got lower S.A.T. scores. They struggled in stressful situations, often had trouble paying attention, and found it difficult to maintain friendships. The child who could wait fifteen minutes had an S.A.T. score that was, on average, two hundred and ten points higher than that of the kid who could wait only thirty seconds.
DON'T: The secret of self-control

Every morning I wake up and give Tesla a banana and while she eats that I make her a bowl of applesauce + yogurt + a dab of almond butter. A couple of mornings ago she left a small piece of the banana on her table and told me she wanted to dip it in her applesauce when I got it ready. I went back into the kitchen and finished making the bowl and when I came out she was sitting at her table crying. I asked her why and she said "I ate my banana no applesauce!"

Evidence of a Banana Sucking Vampire Baby

So much for delayed gratification, I thought.

But then the last two days she has done the same thing, saving a small piece of her banana. Yesterday it turned out we ran out of applesauce so she wasn't able to test her will power for long. Today, however, she made it through the temptation all the way to banana dipping time. I was proud.

Comments

[Kokochi]

[this is good] Me too. Go Tesla, Go!

[ian]

Tyler works his way around the plate, item by item always saving his favorite for last. Julia just plows her way through whatever is in front of her.

I remember Mie used to smash her cookies into little pieces before eating them. Why? "So I have more."

[Dav Yaginuma]

Ha!

I do it just like Tyler.