Some time ago I heard something said that stuck with me. One of those times that you hear something and it sort of punches you in the gut. And even though the discussion was about kids and phones and the distraction they are, I think it can be applied to a lot of things in today’s world that can distract us. The quote was this:

 

 

Now, don’t get me wrong. This is not about the do’s and dont’s of parenting and a lecture on how to be a good one. Because the truth is this is a learn-as-you-go type of adventure and we are all just hanging on. There are plenty of things my cubs enjoy that involve a screen. But my little Brooks brought this lesson and reminder to life so vividly for me the other day that I just had to share it.

 

It was a week that I told the kids we were going to have zero devices. I was feeling burnt out a bit and I wanted to make sure we weren’t losing focus on more important things. You know, a little bit of mom guilt being felt and that darn quote kept coming back to me.  Well, this is easier said than done when you are the youngest in the house! Being four is hard. But each time Brooks came to me throughout that first day and exclaimed in frustration he was bored,  I simply repeated my very tired line of, “figure it out”.

 

A short time later as I was getting off a phone call, Brooks came running into my room yelling with excitement, “Mom! I have to show you something!“. He grabbed me by the hand and led me to his room, skipping all along the way. Trying to contain himself, Brooks told me all about how he was bored and trying to figure out what to do when his big sister had an idea for him. Together they took an empty can, removed the labeling, and punched holes all through the sides of it. He looked at me with a sneaky smile as if tempting me to guess what they had done. I looked down at him and excitedly responded with, “And?!”

 

Grabbing me by the hand once again, he pulled me into his closet, told me to sit down and wait. He shut off the light, closed the door, and sat down next to me. Then, he told me to close my eyes. “One… two… three…”