distraction.

"Sorry for ignoring you.  

Somehow, whenever you are talking to me I'm always thinking about Mary Poppins." 

True words from the mouth of my seven year old.

The honesty, and the ridiculous reason, made me laugh.  I had to go write that one down so I wouldn't forget the quote.

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But then a few days later I found the quote and it hit me - my excuses are just as ridiculous as Mary Poppins.  There are so many distractions around me when my children seem to need me.  Some are valid, but so many distractions are no where near as important as my family.  So I've made a list of questions to ask myself when I think I'm too busy to stop for my children.

1. Is what I am doing something that must be done right now, or can it wait?

2.  When is the last time I stopped to talk to my children?

3.  Am I treating my children with love and respect?

These three questions really helped me pause and think about my actions.  Being a school teacher means I often expect my home to be run like a classroom.  This can be a good thing, and it can also be a very bad thing.  I'm working on changing my perspective about how I interact with my kids daily.  {Easier said than done.}  I would love to hear your thoughts on how to keep focused when there are so many distractions all around.