This is an important lesson as a dad. I know because I can get preoccupied with my own interests. I love to study and read and I really enjoy my own thoughts. I am by nature an introvert which means that I am most comfortable in my own space.
But to be the sort of Dad who is effective in my kids life will require me to waste time with them. This doesn’t mean passively sitting in front of the TV with the kids. It means taking the time to have a wrestle with Toby (he loves this). Sitting with Sophia when she draws. Tickling Yasmin on the tummy and blowing raspberries on her arms or belly.
It is in these everyday interactions that make a family more resilient and more able to withstand the difficult times when they come. Kids need a father who is able to work hard but who able to say to them by the way that he spends his time that they are the most valuable way he can use that resource.