Pay More Attention to the little ones

We were sitting on the sofa together.....

My Girl: I love you! Hmmmph! (Spoken in a huff and sounding annoyed)

My Girl: Hmmmph! Want to hug hug you also cannot! (Still annoyed)

MG: Why?

My Girl: You watch TV only.......

MG: Hahahaha

Oops! I was busy paying attention to the TV instead of to my girl but luckily she told me so!

And no, I'm no TV addict. In fact, I hardly ever watch TV. I don't have the time! I don't even have ASTRO in my home and I don't miss it. I was merely distracted and wasn't listening. Sometimes we brush off what the little ones are saying when we are busy or we tune out when they say repetitive sentences over and over again. I should really try not to do that. It makes them feel bad and unimportant. Afterall, I don't like it when my spouse is not listening or brushes me off so why should the little ones like being treated that way?

Today's mantra: "Pay more attention to the little ones. Pay more attention to the little ones."

And as if on cue, I received this in my email today:

If your preschooler took a minute to think about her happiest times, she would probably realize that what makes her happiest is you. And that's the first key to creating a happy child says Hallowell. "Connect with them, play with them," he advises. "If you're having fun with them, they're having fun. If you create what I call a 'connected childhood,' that is by far the best step to guarantee your child will be happy."

Excerpt taken from ParentCentre's article on "How to Raise a Happy Child"