Put Down the Phone, The Secret to Being a Present Parent

Wondering how to strike the perfect balance between ambition and family time? Join us as Sean Crane opens up about the struggles of being a present parent in a world saturated with distractions. In this episode, we delve into the harsh reality many parents face: the constant pull of work and the digital life often overshadows the need for family connection. Sean shares invaluable insights on how to manage this delicate balancing act, emphasizing that while it’s essential to go after our professional dreams, it’s equally important to create fulfilling home life experiences.

As he reflects on personal memories, Sean reveals the wake-up call that led him to reconsider how he engages with his children amidst his busy lifestyle. Coming face to face with the uncomfortable truth about phone dependency in modern parenting, listeners are compelled to take a hard look at their own habits. He offers actionable guidance on how to disconnect from devices and reconnect with loved ones, as well as poignant reminders about what it means to be a role model for our children.

With humor and authenticity, Sean's anecdotes provide both encouragement and a reality check that parents need to hear. He blends relatable stories with practical advice, creating a narrative that is both engaging and motivational. Tune in for a heartfelt discussion around navigating parenthood today. Let’s remind ourselves to look up from our screens and cherish the moments that truly matter—our time with family.

Feel inspired? Make a commitment to spend more quality time with your loved ones today! Don't forget to subscribe and share this episode with others who might find it valuable!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 0 (00:00):
Welcome back to another episode of the
Unstoppable Mindset Podcast.
I'm your host, sean Crane.
We're here in the studio inSanta Barbara, california.
I got my beautiful wife,jessica here.
She's super pregnant.
She's listening.
I'm glad she's listening onthis message because today I'm
going to talk about being a goodparent, being a good husband or
spouse and being present withyour family.
Now, this is something that I'mconstantly working at and
sometimes I feel like I doreally good and other times I

(00:22):
don't.
You know, I'm running abusiness.
I got like 12 team members I'mdelegating, I got a million
fucking pieces moving around allthe time and I'm trying to get
shit done.
And if you're an ambitious guylike me and you want to, you
know, conquer all of your goalsand dreams in life and live the
ultimate life.
The biggest challenge you'reprobably going to face in doing
that is knowing when to turn iton and when to turn it off.
My problem is I'm so fuckingobsessed and driven.

(00:43):
If I didn't have a wife andkids, I would work seven days a
week, 18 hours a day.
I would never stop.
Thank God for my wife and kids,because they allow me to slow
down and really soak up the mostimportant thing in life, which
is our relationships in thosemoments.
But the biggest challenge a lotof us entrepreneurs and business
owners face is being present.
Like we grind and work all day.
Then you come home and it'sreally hard just to flip that

(01:04):
switch and turn it off, becausethat's what's making you the
money, that's what's buildingthe business, that's what's
getting you the results.
It's that process in your mindand then taking action.
Like imagine being a businessowner 20 or 30 or 50 years ago,
right when you didn't have aniPhone.
You work all day, you come homeand you don't have a choice but
to really be present.
You don't have a choice but toreally be present.
You don't have this thing inyour pocket and in your hand.

(01:24):
That's an extension of yourwork, an extension of your
profession.
So we're challenged morenowadays because we bring this
thing home.
That's really become anextended part of who we are and
what we do.
And now it's right there Anysecond, any notification, any
time that phone buzzes orvibrates, you fucking check it,
you check it, you check it.
And it's a habit that we haveto learn to curtail and have

(01:46):
self-discipline and restraintover.
I mean, I can think of an easyway.
It's like just leave my phonein the truck when I come home.
I should probably do that,right?
I have a message that goes offat my phone at 5 pm every day
and it says be your future self.
Now I actually changed thatmessage to put your fucking
phone away.
And I did that because lastnight my wife said Sean, you're
always on your phone.

(02:06):
I'm like, damn dude, I've beenslipping, you know, and right
now I'm building my business andI'm growing and there's a lot
that I need to do, so I've beenin go mode.
But I have a wife and children,and my wife is eight, nine
months pregnant.
I got two little ones, an olderboy.
They need my presence andattention.
I'd never want to be the fatherthat's on his phone when his

(02:26):
kids are talking to him.
I never want to be the fatherthat looks back and goes dude, I
was on my phone all the timewhen my children were growing up
, like, how are they so old?
And this is something Iconstantly think about because
it's a challenge for all of usand I feel like a lot of times I
do well, sometimes I don't.
The reason I'm bringing this upis because last night I, and

(02:47):
what really stood out to me isevery single parent around me
was on their phones.
This guy was on his phone, thewoman over there was on her
phone, the one next door was onher phone.
There was a couple right nextto me.
They were looking through likea newspaper and they were both
on their phone.
I'm thinking man, your freakingkids are out there like doing
all this cool stuff.
They're learning martial arts.
You know they're doing anobstacle course, they're playing

(03:08):
an obstacle course.
They're playing, they'regiggling, they're having a good
time.
And none of the parents werepaying attention.
Every time Preston looked overat me, I gave him a thumbs up.
I said that's right, buddy.
You know, when he was doinglike his sit-ups or his push-ups
, I always run out there andhelp him.

(03:30):
I want my children to.
Then they'll start to modelthat behavior over time as well,
they'll want to do the samething.
So I think nowadays, in 2025,this is one of the biggest
challenges for all parents.
There's a couple of things, man, like number one, where the
example and we set the standardfor our children and who they're
going to become.
They're going to shape theirbehavior over time more of what
you do rather than what you say.

(03:51):
So your example and how youoperate is everything.
I think a lot of parents slackwhen it comes to the nutrition
at home, but I think the otherone, too, is the amount of time
they're on their phones and notpaying attention to their
children.
What's going to be the best wayfor a person like me or you, if
you struggle with this as wellto be present when you go home?
I think the best way is justleave your phone in the car for

(04:13):
two or three hours when you gethome, and at first it's going to
feel uncomfortable becauseyou're used to checking it and
your brain likes that dopamineresponse that takes place when
you look at your screens and youget shit done and you answer a
message.
But you got to ask yourselfokay, who am I going to become
long term and how is it going toaffect my relationships?
Will three hours at the end ofthe day really jeopardize my
business?
Am I really going to lose outon that much money or

(04:34):
opportunity?
No, you won't.
It's a flawed process in ourthinking.
If we feel like we always haveto be on our phones, always
checking something, always doingsomething, you know that's not
life.
When I get home today Jessica,she's listening Maybe I'm going
to leave my phone in the car,I'm going to leave my phone in
the truck in my glove box andI'm not going to go out and get
it until later in the night,after we've whined down.

(04:55):
I'm going to be fully present.
I'm going to play with myfreaking kids I often play chess
or checkers with Scarlett.
Presto always wants me to playwith his toys and I'm going to
have a conversation with my wife.
Those little things, doneconsistently over time, are the
world to my family.
But how often do we go home andwe miss out on those things
because we're distracted.
So I guess for me this is awake-up call and I'm sharing,

(05:17):
just being honest with you, andit's a wake-up call for you
parents at home too, and theones at karam maga.
Man like you're there for 30minutes with your child.
Put your fucking phone away,watch them playing and learning.
It's so important.
Be a present parent, yourchildren's life, and I guarantee
it's gonna create a betterrelationship for everybody.