We Disconnect to Connect

After church and Sunday school, we took the kids out for brunch. Felicity spent the night with her cousin, so it was just Dawson and Max. The wait was about 35 minutes. Nelson said he'd wait at the restaurant so I could drive down the road and pick up a birthday present for our niece. 

Dawson and Max stayed in the car and rode along. When we got to the bookstore, we discovered we still had 20 minutes before it opened. After a quick check in with Nelson, we decided to wait since we were within walking distance of where we were going to eat. 

The three of us sat in the car just shooting the breeze. As soon as the doors opened, I ran in, grabbed the gift, and we were on our way back. We arrived at the restaurant in time to be seated. 

At the table we had some great conversations revolving around memories, books verses movies, school, songs, and other topics. We have a rule in our house that there are no phones at the table. Developing good conversational skills is one of our goals for our kids. Today, I saw that they are good at it. There was nothing negative, no weird pauses, no awkward silences. There was no effort, we were just being together, laughing, and having a good time. 

Of all my parenting memories, the simple ones are some of the sweetest. I'm grateful for these little moments, because I know all to well, that as they grow, they will be few and farther between. I'm grateful for kids who are willing to include us in their lives. I'm grateful that I grew up without a phone so I can teach my kids how nice it is to be disconnected from it for awhile.