• Podcast
    • Time Out
  • My Diary
    • Mommy Confessions
  • Parenting
  • Relationships
  • Food
  • Money
  • NPD
  • Dear Carmen
  • home
  • i’m carmen
  • fa-q
  • get in touch
  • home
  • i’m carmen
  • fa-q
  • get in touch
  • Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

It's Carmen Time!

Adulting Without Going Cray or Setting Things on Fire

  • Podcast
    • Time Out
  • My Diary
    • Mommy Confessions
  • Parenting
  • Relationships
  • Food
  • Money
  • NPD
  • Dear Carmen
  • home
  • i’m carmen
  • fa-q
  • get in touch

Look! Mommy’s on the Phone… Time to Demand Attention!

You are here: Home / Raising Your Human / Look! Mommy’s on the Phone… Time to Demand Attention!

05.17.16 //  by Carmen Sakurai

When J was little… between 1-3 years old, he would play with his Legos… draw on his giant sketch pad with his crayons… sing and dance – oh, so happily on his own. The boy would completely immerse himself into whatever he was doing… really intense kid. 😆

But as soon as he sees me so much as GLANCE towards the direction of a telephone… that intensity IMMEDIATELY fizzles out.

Suddenly, it becomes absolutely imperative that he checks in with me every 4.2 breaths.

Look, mommy! I’m holding blocks!

And mommy… MOMMY look! I have blocks!

Mommy, do you like my blocks?

Mommy I farted! (laughing hysterically as he fixes his eyes on me)

*sighing* I’m hungry.

Mommy listen to me spell my name!

Look, mommy! I’m shaking my bon bon!

What’s your name, mommy?

Mommy, what-chu talkin about?

Mommy I think Mikko and Zalentine (Valentine) needs to poo poo!

Mommy who you talking to?

Mommy? You need to pee pee?

Mommy do you want to see my blocks?

I thought it was only my precious little baby bum who suddenly transformed into a neglected child hungry for attention… but after speaking to my mommy friends with kids J’s age, I was surprised to find that my child was not necessary unique in this department!

Ohhh emmm geee…

Us moms concluded: CONSPIRACY!!!

Close… but not exactly. After some research, I realized that this behavior is normal during this stage of early childhood development. 🙂

You see, up until the age of 5 or 6, children assume the world and everything and everyone in it exist purely for their benefit. As far as they’re concerned, everyone else don’t have their own independent purpose, thoughts, feelings, ideas, etc. Children at this age also depend on their primary caregivers (parents, grandparents, etc.) for feedback to let them know if they were being “good” or “bad” because they’re learning to be their own human.

On top of that, the child’s short-term memory is still being developed, so they feel a very real need to say what’s on their mind before they forget.

While this may be a natural course of development for the itty bitty which made trying to hold a semi-coherent conversation with my friends a bit of a challenge… this was certainly not acceptable while I was on calls with coaching clients. So here’s what I did to help my child chill out while I was on the phone… replying to emails… completing something before a deadline 😆

  1. Phone-time activities box: He had a box filled with Legos, dinosaurs, cars, crayons & paper, etc.  specifically for when I’m on the phone, that he could pull out and setup next to me if he wanted to hang out. The rule was… he has to give me time to focus on my call, otherwise, I won’t have money to do any grocery shopping. 😆
  2. Force-field time: I explained to my child that until the alarm/timer starts beeping, we are to remain in our individual forcefields. We’re usually in the same room, but the rule was, J stays in his forcefield on his side of the room, focusing on creating whatever his sweet little heart desires… and I stay in mine to take calls/finish work. When the alarm goes off (between 30-60 mins), we take a break and share what we’ve accomplished.
  3. The little assistant: Sometimes, I let J “answer” the phone for me. I pick up the phone when it rings and give the caller a heads up that J will answer the phone. I then hand the phone to my little assistant and he says, “Hello, this is Joshua. Who is this please? [Caller tells him their name] Ok, here’s my mommy.” Of course, we had to rehearse his very important assistant script before actually pulling it off, but it made him feel so involved, he’d go off on his own to do “important Joshua work” after handing the phone to me. 😆

Our littles will eventually develop independence and grow into their own amazing person with their own thoughts and emotions about themselves and everything around them… their short-term memory will improve… and the kid will become less impulsive. They’ll begin to understand that other people are their own separate person too, with their own thoughts and feelings… aaand they’ll be able to hold onto their thoughts while waiting for their turn to share. 🙂

It’s always fun to talk to new parents about this phone-interrupt stage, but I always found the psychology behind this so incredibly fascinating.

 
P.S. Lemme know what you think!
Carmen Sakurai

Carmen is a mom, certified professional life strategist, breakup recovery coach, religion teacher, best selling author, foodie wannabe, and advocate for victims of narcissistic abuse. She is currently living la vida loca in Vegas with her not-so-little human… while pseudo-adulting, Tahitian dancing, and exploring the delicious world of bubble tea *woo!*

itscarmentime.net

Category: Raising Your Human

Disclosure: ItsCarmenTime.net is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Previous Post: « Dark Chocolate Quinoa Power-Bowl
Next Post: Cheesy Cauliflower Garlic Breadsticks »

Primary Sidebar

Adulting 101: “Support group” to help grown-ups do life… without burning out or setting things on fire.

Oh, Hai… I’m Carmen

Certified Professional Life Strategist. Breakup Recovery Coach, Best Selling Author. Foodie Wannabe. Advocate for Victims of NPD Abuse.
This blog is to compensate for my lack of adult-interaction. There, I said it.

my podcast!


itunes overcast rss

Raising Your Human

  • It’s OK to Not be OK
  • Down Time For Kids: The Benefits of Alone Time, Free Play, and Daydreaming
  • How I Helped My Son Develop Empathy at an Early Age
  • 23 Of The Most Important Life Skills I Have Taught My Only Child
  • Breaking Your Child’s Bad Habits Without Shaming
  • That One Time When My “A” Student Got a “C”
  • 5 Non-Academic Skills Children Must Learn to Succeed
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • >>

Reverse the clock…


Just 2 scoops a day with your coffee, smoothie, or yogurt… and watch your hair, skin, and nails get healthier!

Thicker, longer hair!


Vegetarian, gluten-free, gelatin free… take 2 juicy berry flavored gummies a day for thicker, longer hair!

My Etsy Shop!

etsy.com/shop/LittleEyeCandy

Secondary Sidebar

boost energy & lose weight!


2 Gummies = 1 ACV Shot for energy, skin, immunity, & weight!

Categories

  • Dear Carmen
  • Diary
  • Education
  • Faith
  • Food
    • Recipes
  • Freebies
  • Health / Wellness
  • IGTV
  • Life Hacks
  • Mommy Confessions
  • Money
    • Save Money
    • Side Hustles
  • Narcissistic Abuse
  • Podcast
    • Time Out
  • Raising Your Human
  • Relationships
  • Reviews

follow me in feedly

Footer

it’s carmen time!

  • Podcast
    • Time Out
  • My Diary
    • Mommy Confessions
  • Parenting
  • Relationships
  • Food
  • Money
  • NPD
  • Dear Carmen

let’s hang out!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

adulting 101

A “support group” to help grown-ups do life without burning out or setting things on fire.
 
Yasss!

  • home
  • i’m carmen
  • fa-q
  • get in touch


Copyright © 2006–2021 ITSCARMENTIME.NET & Carmen Sakurai. All Rights Reserved.
Surviving Single Motherhood One #Facepalm at a Time is a Trademark of Carmen Sakurai
Built on Genesis · Hosted by KnownHost · Terms of Use · Privacy Policy

We use cookies to customize content and give you the best experience possible. If you continue to use our site, we'll assume that you accept our terms. Got It!
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

SAVE & ACCEPT