My kid called me out on something I didn't realize I was doing.

My 6-year-old called me out the other day and honestly, he wasn't wrong.

Most evenings after work we'll hang out together for a bit. Nothing special. Snacks, homework, building random Lego creations, listening to him tell me about whatever he's currently obsessed with. Just normal dad stuff.

Lately work's been busy and I think I've been carrying it home with me more than I realize.

The other night we were sitting together and he was telling me about something that happened at school. At some point he stopped talking and said, "Dad, you're not listening."

I looked up from my phone and realized I genuinely had no idea what he'd been talking about for the last minute or two.

I knew he was right.

The thing is, it never feels like I'm ignoring him. In my head it's always just for a minute. Reddit, YouTube, messages, anything.

But lately I've noticed that when I reach for my phone, he usually ends up moving toward the TV instead. We're both in the same room but we're not really doing anything together anymore.

I don't really want that to be our normal.

For the dads who've gone through something similar what actually helped? Not looking for some perfect solution. Just what worked for you.