Emily Chan
Parents are so busy dealing with work stress, fixing up the house, and figuring out what to cook for dinner every night that they don’t pay much attention to their kids. And I mean, really pay attention.
Like fully listening to your child telling you a long-winded but important story. How often have you tried to talk to your parents as a kid, only for them to mumble a halfhearted response and turn back to the task at hand?
It’s disheartening and makes your child feel like they don’t matter. And it always seems things will stay this way forever. But in the blink of an eye, your tiny tot is suddenly a teenager, and you missed out on so many moments all because you had your nose buried in your phone.
We’re all guilty of being detached from time to time, but kids notice when you’re somewhere else mentally, and it has a significant impact on your relationship with them.
So if you want to work on becoming more of an attentive and present parent, here are some ways you can bond with your kids and enjoy being with your family more.
First and foremost, put down your phone. You don’t need studies from experts to tell you that your phone is a major distraction and takes up a lot of your time.
The internet is a vast place, and there’s always something to do on there. If you don’t take action and remove yourself from your phone, you’ll just keep gravitating toward it.
So limit your screen time by placing your phone out of sight and hearing range during mealtimes and leave it at home when going for family walks.
Next, whenever you notice yourself slipping away and your mind wandering to what’s left on your to-do list while your child is retelling the events of their day, call yourself out for it. Announce that you weren’t paying attention. It will immediately make you start to be present again.
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