🎧 “I’m Listening” — The Quiet Power of Presence in Youth Soccer Parenting

Have you ever found yourself doing something “important” on your phone—right when your kid comes over to tell you something?

Maybe it’s a work email.

Maybe it’s a text you’ve been waiting for.

Or maybe… you're just aimlessly scrolling to unwind.

And then you hear:

“Dad, wanna see something cool?”

“Mom, guess what happened today?”

And you respond, half-engaged:

“Go ahead, I’m listening.”

Except… you're not.

At least not in the way your kid hopes you are.

And they feel it.

Kids have this radar for our attention. They can tell when we’re truly present — and when we’re just there physically, with our minds somewhere else.

When they’re sharing something that matters to them, and our reply comes mid-scroll or between two pings, it quietly tells them:

“This isn’t important enough.”

But to them?

It might be the most important part of their day. 💬

❗Here’s the tricky part — we expect them to be fully focused at practice. To listen to the coach. To be locked in.

But when they need our full attention, we’re not always giving it.

That’s where the disconnect starts.

Not with big moments — but in the small ones, when we're not fully there.

🧩 Trust doesn’t break all at once. It fades in tiny moments, when they’re reaching out… and we’re somewhere else.

We don’t have to be perfect.

But pausing for even a minute, putting the phone down, making eye contact, and truly hearing them?

That goes a long way. 👀

📵 The phone can wait.

Your child’s voice shouldn’t have to.

In youth soccer parenting, the most powerful support doesn’t come from loud cheers or strict rules — it comes from presence. When we show our kids we’re truly listening, we build the trust that carries them through every challenge on and off the field.