Normally I try and be as present as possible with my girls.  If they ask me for a cuddle, I stop what I’m doing and give them a cuddle.  If they’re talking to me, I stop what I’m doing and focus my attention on them.

A couple of days ago I had a day of doing the opposite.  I honestly don’t know what it was – a combination of tiredness and a long to-do list perhaps.  It doesn’t really matter why anyway, the fact was, I was nowhere near being the kind of parent that I usually strive to be.  I was pretty much in my own head the whole day, snapping at the girls of they interrupted my thoughts, and spending a lot of time on the computer instead of spending time with them.

By chance, a friend posted this short video on Facebook the same day:

Replace the mobile phone in the film with a laptop or a camera and that was me on this particular day in question.

It really made me sit up and think.

By the time the girls’ bedtime came around I felt awful.  I gathered them together with me on the sofa, gave them a huge big squeeze and promised them (and myself) that the next day would be better. (It was!).

Being present with your kids is so so important in helping to build their self esteem.  In fact, being present with whoever you happen to be with – your partner, your best friend, your family – is important.

I think we could all do with taking the time to switch off from the virtual world and reconnect with the real world actually present around us.

What do you think?