Every parent hopes their child will be confident, kind and resilient.
But there is another skill I think is becoming increasingly valuable.
The ability to be quietly absorbed.
To colour. To draw. To build. To create.
To spend time with their own thoughts without needing constant entertainment.
My son is an energetic boy. Yet on holiday this week, he spent a long stretch of time lying by the pool colouring.
It wasn’t luck.
It wasn’t personality.
It was years of tiny moments.
While I cooked dinner, the colouring pencils came out.
While I folded washing, he drew pictures beside me.
Not every time. Not perfectly. But consistently.
And over time he learned something important:
That stillness isn’t boring.
That creativity lives on the other side of boredom.
That concentration is a skill.
And that peace can be found in simple things.
In a world designed to capture our children’s attention, teaching them how to gently hold their own attention may be one of the greatest gifts we can give them.