So many times as parents we strive to be our best as we should! BUT we forget what our babies or kids really need is our time and undivided attention. 

We make long videos of their first birthday, YAY YOU’RE ONE! Cake, balloons, ice cream, clothes and presents galore. Then we forget to give them our undivided attention on regular days and throughout the week.

Truth is they need us MORE during the down times. When it seems they’re nagging they just want our attention.

Jeremiah (who is 5) always says “Mommy, mommy, mommy” repeatedly, non stop. It’s soooooo easy for us to get irritated because we are focused on cleaning the house, talking to our partner, running errands (probably too much multitasking) etc…

These are the times when our toddlers and little ones NEED our attention. This is the stage in their life where they need to know that we are there for them so that we have that trust and can really bond with them from an early age.

I mean imagine being 3-5 years old. Your Mom and Dad are your WORLD! So at this point you may get discouraged if it seems they’re always too busy to talk or play with you.

If they can’t trust us now with just being able to smile at them and be happy to see them, even when we’re soooo tired and soooo busy ,then when they’re older they’re not going to turn to ask us for help when they need it later down the line as teenagers.

So the next time that your young son or daughter or even your preteen son or daughter talks to you, says your name over and over and it seems like they’re trying to “bug” you, what they’re really saying is mom or dad I need your attention right now! PLEASE give it to me.

Certainly we don’t aim to ignore our children on purpose or at least I hope. Although there are times when I have inadvertently been distracted by cooking, looking on my phone, or doing homework and various activities that occur throughout the day, that seem to take my attention away from them at that moment.

Sometimes we just need to push EVERYTHING else aside and give them our complete attention!

This way we build that bond with them so when they do have troubling times in their teenage years, they will come straight to us knowing that we will 100% be there, ready to LISTEN and help!