1. Concentrate
\nNothing ruins time with my kids more than when I attempt to multi-task. They hate it when it\u2019s \u201ctheir time\u201d and I am not giving them my attention; and, once they are off at school or in bed, I always regret when I wasn\u2019t 100% present during the time we had together. Managing their dinnertime, for example, can be a fun moment to chat and talk about their day, but it is spoilt when my attention is split and I leave the table to hang up laundry, answer a quick email, or take out rubbish. In general, weekday time slots with the kids are short and precious. Make them the true focus of that time and it will be more enjoyable for everyone.<\/p>\n
2. Disconnect
\nDon\u2019t let technology pull focus. Of all the things that compete for my attention when I\u2019m with the children, the most insidious and unrelenting is the smartphone. In the evening, put your phone on silent, stick it in a drawer or \u2013 whisper it \u2013 turn it off, to ensure you give your undivided attention to the people who are actually in the room. In most cases, your colleague won\u2019t remember that she went to voicemail and you called her back later. Your friend won\u2019t even notice that an hour elapsed between her text and your reply. But your kids will definitely be aware of how you made them feel during the golden hours between school ending and bedtime \u2013 seen and heard and important, or like they play second fiddle to your Android.<\/p>\n
3. Flow
\nTry to get into it. Sometimes finding the strength and patience to make yet another Kapla tower or play an umpteenth game of Connect-4 it can feel like a superhuman act of will. In those moments, it sometimes helps to get genuinely super-enthusiastic \u2013 even if it\u2019s just pretence at first. Get serious about winning the game, make your structure look like the Eiffel Tower, mix and match toys to create new ways of playing (my kids like making a massive \u201cvillage\u201d by combining the train set with the toy cars and the Playmobil saloon and farm). If you can find some true kid-like enthusiasm you might just tap into that Holy Grail of feelings: flow – that sense of being in the moment, connected and committed to what you\u2019re doing. If you can hit that spot, everyone will have more fun and time will fly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
1. Concentrate Nothing ruins time with my kids more than when I attempt to multi-task. They hate it when it\u2019s \u201ctheir time\u201d and I am not giving them my attention; and, once they are off at school or in bed, I always regret when I wasn\u2019t 100% present during the time we had together. Managing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1698,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[333],"tags":[259,337,246,334,118,255,336,335,110],"class_list":["post-1676","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-top-tips-coaching","tag-children","tag-disconnecting","tag-family","tag-flow","tag-mindfulness","tag-parenting","tag-smartphones","tag-social-media","tag-time-management"],"yoast_head":"\n