Hi Reader,

Last week I told you I was sitting with a question — how I want to connect with my kids now that it's not as simple as tickles and snuggles anymore. I don't have a full answer.

Something I keep coming back to: trying to really listen. Pausing when they start talking, making eye contact, and being interested — not just pretending, but actually finding the interesting part — in their story, even if it's about a video game or Pokémon cards. Fully interested, instead of just nearby.

My instinct is always to keep moving — answer over my shoulder, nod while I'm loading the dishwasher, half-hear the story about the thing that happened at recess. Stopping feels inefficient, which is the trap I was trying to name last week.

I don't think this is the complete answer, likely just one small piece of it. But, I've already noticed a difference. Not in them, but in me. In pausing to listen to them, I'm getting a little joy in those moments. Not in the stories themselves but in their animation, their sweet joy in what seems like a silly story, their openness.

Yours in pausing,
Jess