The Importance of Being Present

Last week I brought my son to his hockey practice. It had been a long day and honestly I was so excited to sit in the bleachers, put my feet up, and relax.

And of course I was happy to watch my son.

For the next hour I watched him do drills, scrolled through Facebook, answered work emails, and peeked at Pinterest.

When I met him after to take his skates off, the first thing he said to me was…’you spent the whole time on your phone doing your job. You didn’t even watch me.’

I was shocked. I didn’t even know he payed attention to me. I felt horrible. I had watched him. I had also went on my phone.

For the next 5 minutes he scolded me. A full role reversal. The child scolding the parent for technology time.

Tonight, we had practice again and you can bet I watched every second of that practice.

I didn’t look at my phone once. And guess what I saw…My son looked up at me a dozen plus times. He waved. He smiled. He showed-off a bit. He knew exactly where my eyes were.

He taught me a lesson this one. Be present. Little eyes are watching.

Finding Cooper’s Voice is a safe, humorous, caring and honest place where you can celebrate the unique challenges of parenting a special needs child. Because you’re never alone in the struggles you face. And once you find your people, your allies, your village….all the challenges and struggles will seem just a little bit easier. Welcome to our journey. You can also follow us on Facebook, subscribe for exclusive videos, and subscribe to our newsletter.