Last week, I had a terrifying near miss with my daughter. It began like any other week. My partner had been on the road for nearly the entire month, and we were all settling into a rhythm without him. School and various activities filled our days, which passed swiftly. By evening, however, all of us were feeling the weight of fatigue. Around 6 p.m., it seemed we all reached peak crabbiness.
On Wednesday night, after a busy day, I took the kids upstairs to get them ready for bed. My daughter had complained of a stomach ache throughout the day, but she seemed fine otherwise—happy, playful, and very much herself, though clearly exhausted. I placed her in the bath, started filling it up, and then stepped out to help my son with his shower. At almost four years old, I felt comfortable leaving her alone in the tub for a couple of minutes. I often multitask at that hour, trying to balance bath time and showers, all while yearning for a moment of peace at the end of a long day.
However, that night was different. While I was getting my son ready, I heard the ping of my phone: an email from a friend. There was no urgency to respond, but I felt an inexplicable urge to reply right away. In that moment, I left my daughter unattended in the tub for a brief two minutes.
On any other night, this wouldn’t have been a problem. But that evening, she was exhausted, the water was warm, and she simply dozed off, completely asleep. When I returned, I was horrified to see her slumped against the tub’s side, still sitting up but on the verge of slipping under the water. She could have drowned in seconds.
Panic surged through me. I shook her awake, and while she didn’t immediately respond, her breathing was steady. I quickly lifted her from the water and carried her to her room, my heart racing as I stared at her small, sleeping form. In about 15 minutes, she awoke, blissfully unaware of the danger she had just escaped, eager to play again.
It left me breathless.
For some time, I’ve felt myself losing the ability to focus on a single task. This realization isn’t isolated; it reflects a broader cultural trend that has consumed us over the last few years. As a parent in the age of smartphones and tablets, I find it increasingly difficult to be fully present. It terrifies me. That night, my divided attention could have cost me dearly. I often try to squeeze too much into just a few moments, oblivious to the risks involved.
We live in a society that bombards us with messages promoting maximum efficiency—do as much as you can, as quickly as possible. But at what cost? How many commitments, activities, and obligations do we pile into our days without pausing to consider their importance? We may be multitasking ourselves into a state of disconnect, with our bodies present but our minds scattered elsewhere.
When we treat our daily lives as a checklist of tasks, we risk being absent from even the most meaningful moments. The reality is, I’ve been living that way, and my experience last week was a stark wake-up call. I realize now that it’s okay to take longer to accomplish tasks if it means giving my full attention to what truly matters.
People often discuss distracted driving, but we must also consider distracted living. It doesn’t just leave us feeling unfulfilled; as I learned, it can be downright dangerous.
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In summary, my experience served as a crucial reminder to slow down, focus on the present, and avoid the distractions that can lead to dangerous situations.
Keyphrase: distracted parenting
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