Children are not wired to handle adult emotions. They are developing and can’t be feeding their parents emotional needs. Sometimes, all children need is to see you sitting watching them while they do their thing. That is a sign that you value your child and their world view even though it may be boring to you. It may feel like a waste of time but your time with your child is so short and limited and many parents don’t realize it until it is too late. Engage with your child at his/her level, not at your level. Focus on their emotional development because that is the base for human function. No matter how talented, smart, beautiful, handsome, name it, your child is, if their emotional being is messed up, they will have issues in life. But when a child develops a healthy emotional life, he/she can live a stable life regardless of many other things we humanly go after. Give your child attention willingly and you will never regret it when they are grown up
As an adult, build relationships with other adults that feed your emotional being so that you are not dependent on your young children for that. Take good care of yourself so that you have something to give. Be intentional about your sleep, rest, diet and especially your social life. Most of all, be intentional about building your children’s emotional being by giving them you time unconditionally and being completely present while you give them time. Don’t be sitting around your children with your phone all the time. Be intentional/responsible about your phone use, work, chores when you are around your children. Yes, things have to be done; but think about how you can do those things so that they are not a negative to your children’s emotional development. Your time with your children is not about you but about your child and the joy you get out of it should only be a bonus.