[Clanan]

I think the key is what happens when they're ready for interaction. When she's done brushing or using the bathroom, do you put the phone down right away, or finish reading/playing? Similarly, if you're focusing on something else instead of playing the (boring) game, your kid will know it. Kids are very good at recognizing when mom and dad aren't paying attention. They'll learn your "attention hierarchy". Do it enough and they'll learn that phone > my game/idea/talk. Definitely a balancing act.

We've found it useful to just be honest with them. "Dad needs 5 or 10 minutes of Dad time, then we'll play."

[ajeet_dhaliwal]

Agreed. No one should be expected to just sit and watch each of those long dumps splash into the toilet bowel however when I take my kids to the park playground and play with them there I see many parents never supervising and just staring into their phones even when the kid is calling out to them. Like most things the right balance is needed.

[xevb3k]

It easy to judge when you don’t know what else is going on in people’s lives... some parents are the sole carers of their kids and spend 16 hours a day looking after them. The park may be the only time in the day they get some downtime when the kids are occupied running around

[ajeet_dhaliwal]

Yes totally. I go on my phone too sometimes when they play but try to make it a point to look up and check periodically to ensure either they're not in trouble or irritating someone else. The problem is these things can happen in an instance. They are definitely exhausting and getting the balance right is hard. I was talking more about someone who's disappeared for a half hour sitting faraway or there is a kid going crazy (had one attacking others with a stick) and none of us even know where/who the parent is. That sounds more like the sort of thing the article is talking about, if your kid is wishing the phone wasn't invented you're probably on it too long.

[ryan-allen]

I think this is the right answer. You need to steal some you time while you can but still be attentive when you need to be. I imagine the kid that wrote the letter in the article is used to being wholeheartedly ignored while Mum checks Facebook. If you go to cafes you can watch this phenomenon unfold right in front of you: inattentive parents on their phones whilst their kids vie unsuccessfully for a little bit of connection with their favourite people in the world.