“I told my son to sit and watch the sunset but he could't”: Jaaved Jaaferi on why today's children are losing patience; and what parents can do about screen time

August 8, 2026 - 12:58

Actor Jaaved Jaaferi recently shared a moment that many parents might recognize. He told his son to sit and watch the sunset, but the boy simply couldn't do it. Within a minute or two, the child was restless, reaching for a phone or looking for some other distraction. Jaaferi's observation has struck a chord with many, sparking a conversation about patience, attention spans, and the role of screens in children's lives.

The issue is not that kids are lazy or defiant. It is that their brains are being trained for constant stimulation. Short videos, quick games, and endless notifications condition the mind to expect instant reward. When that reward does not come, boredom sets in almost immediately. A sunset, which unfolds slowly and quietly, offers no such payoff. So the child turns away, not because he is rude, but because his brain has learned to avoid stillness.

What can parents do about it? The first step is to stop treating screen time as the enemy and start treating it as a tool that needs boundaries. Instead of sudden bans, which often cause fights, parents can introduce small, regular pauses. A family walk without phones, a shared meal with no devices at the table, or a simple rule that the first ten minutes after waking up are screen-free. These small habits rebuild the ability to sit with oneself.

Another practical approach is to model patience. Children learn more from what they see than from what they are told. If a parent checks their phone every few minutes, the child will copy that behavior. But if a parent can sit on a porch and watch the sky change colors, the child will eventually ask to join. It may not happen the first time, or the fifth, but it will happen.

Jaaferi's story is not a judgment on any parent. It is a reminder that patience is a skill, not a gift. And like any skill, it needs practice. The next time you ask your child to watch a sunset, do not expect them to love it right away. Sit with them, point out the colors, and let the silence do its work. Over time, they may learn to see the beauty in a slow moment. And so might you.