Parenting · 10 min
Ten-Minute Tech-Free Listening
Give your child ten minutes of full undivided attention with no screen or interruption — daily.
Goal
Build a secure communication channel with your child, so they know there's a daily window when they have your full attention with no rival.
Steps
- Pick a daily fixed time (after dinner, before bed, before school) and agree on it together.
- Put your phone in another room, not on the table. Notifications off. Non-negotiable.
- Sit at his eye level (floor or knees) and orient your whole body toward him.
- Open with an open question about his day ("What made you laugh today?" beats "How was school?").
- Listen without interrupting, advising, or "Yes, but...". Just occasionally echo his last words to show you're following.
- End with a sentence that anchors the next time: "See you tomorrow same time." Don't end with advice.
What did your child say today that he wouldn't have said if your phone had been near?