My husband was at work and my four year old was BEGGING me to play catch, so I set up the 11 month old in her jumperoo with Sesame Street and my son and I went out back to our little tiny yard.

We got started and I was instantly surprised by the power and aim of his throw! And he mastered catching in no time.

It was super fun and we were both really excited every time he caught the ball. The crisp Fall weather and the beauty of the setting sun just made it a really lovely moment for us. I like to imagine I’ll remember it forever. 

I do feel it’s much easier to be present with young children in my life. They are so ‘in the moment.’ Before he started begging to play catch, I was fully committed to sitting on the couch and half listen to what was going on around me / half work on my laptop. 

And one thing I can say with confidence is that giving half of my attention to anything doesn’t produce memorable moments.

Multi-tasking too much can be problematic for me in the presence department. It makes me pause and consider how I might schedule my time more thoughtfully to achieve best outcomes in both the productivity department AND joy department.  

This means there are days when I will literally have to schedule time in my calendar to play catch with my son, and fully commit to showing up and being in the moment with him for that scheduled time. Because today I was reminded that even five minutes is totally worth it. 

Share This