Is MIL part of the teaching process; does she understand the challenge? If so you can use a talking stick/ball.

Thanks all - trying to balance being respectful and learning the skill of waiting your turn with positive reinforcement that if you wait patiently, you will get a chance to speak. With MiL that wait is so long and hard to know when she is done it creates a challenge.

Anonymous wrote:At just five, I think a “excuse me, Grandma” is sufficient. Let her interrupt as politely as possible but it’s too much for a five-year-old to wait indefinitely.

To many let an ‘excuse me’ be rite of passage to say something and the patience won’t be learned if you turn your attention to child immediately. They can wait

If grandma memory is bad, she will not know or care. Just remind the child and not make a huge deal.

I have a mother in law who talks for-e-ver. She's not that old she's just inconsiderate. I say "Excuse me, I think five year old would like a turn talking. Would that be okay" and let her talk. Because my MIL can go twenty minutes at a stretch about nothing. Which is rude. And I'm okay if I'm telling her that in the politest way possible.

At just five, I think a “excuse me, Grandma” is sufficient. Let her interrupt as politely as possible but it’s too much for a five-year-old to wait indefinitely.

Kids are 5 and 2. MIL lives with us and has Parkinson’s. Older one knows that Grandma can’t do as much, need to be gentle with her, she doesn’t move quickly. But we don’t talk about her having Parkinson’s and what that means to the kids.

We are working on patiences and waiting your turn to talk with older one. She is good about it 80% of the time. She needs a reminder to wait patiently sometimes. But, it is magnified with MIL. Older will want to talk, will be told to wait her turn because grandma is talking, and then it will be a slow story with lots of pauses where it is unclear if she is done talking or not or she forgets the words and then starts over. It is hard for me as an adult to stay engaged, so I know that 5 year old is having hard time.

Anyone navigated this well? Just have DD wait indefinitely until MIL is done? It will be a while. Let her have a turn when MIL pauses....