His 4-year-old son picked a toy and…: What happened next became a parenting wake-up call for this Canadian TV star
ETimes | June 28, 2026 8:40 PM CST
Every parent has moments they wish they could do over. Sometimes, those moments arrive in the most unexpected ways, not through a difficult conversation or a parenting book, but through the innocent actions of a child.
That is exactly what happened to Canadian television star Drew Scott, where a seemingly ordinary interaction with his four-year-old son became a powerful reminder that children are always watching, learning, and imitating the adults around them.
Through a recent Instagram video, the ‘Property Brothers’ star opened up about an incident involving his son, Parker, that he describes as “heartbreaking.”
The incident that became a wake-up call for the dad“I don't know who needs to hear this, but if you run a mile a minute, which I tend to, I think you might relate to this story,” he began the message, before getting into the specific memory with his son. “I came home one day and I saw Parker, and I'm like, ‘Hey Parker, give me a hug.' And he sort of ran away,” Scott explained. “And then he went and picked up one of his toys and held it to his ear. He actually started walking around and going, ‘I'm on a business call.'”
For Scott, the playful imitation wasn't funny- it was a wake-up call. He immediately realized that his son associated him more with work calls than with quality family time. For the dad of two, the experience made him think of how often he is on his phone in front of his kids.
“It was heartbreaking for me because he just saw me on calls all the time. So that was a wake-up for me to not be on my phone when I'm around the kids,” he continued. “To show them that I'm actually present, I'm listening to their questions, I'm answering, I'm playing with them.”
Why the child imitated his father and what does it meanFor many of us, this may seem like a small interruption to a busy schedule. However, psychology says that young children learn through observation . When children are young, they copy the habits of the people around them. In Parker's case, picking up a toy, holding it to his ear and saying, "I'm on a business call," suggested that this was one of the behaviours he had seen his father perform frequently.
The moment became a wake-up call because it made the father realise that his son associated him with work calls rather than with play or conversation. It made him rethink about the amount of time he gives his children for his son to act that way.
What parents can learn from thisDrew Scott's experience is one that many modern parents may relate to. Between demanding jobs, household responsibilities and the constant presence of smartphones, it is easy for work to spill into family time. While no parent can be available every moment of the day, the incident serves as a reminder that children notice the habits adults often overlook.
Young children don't measure love by the number of hours a parent spends with them, they remember how present that parent is. A few minutes of uninterrupted play, reading together before bed, or simply putting the phone away during a conversation can make a child feel valued and secure.
The takeaway isn't that parents should feel guilty about working. Rather, it's that children learn more from what they see than from what they are told. The way parents balance work and family, respond to loved ones and make time for everyday moments quietly shapes a child's understanding of relationships.
That is exactly what happened to Canadian television star Drew Scott, where a seemingly ordinary interaction with his four-year-old son became a powerful reminder that children are always watching, learning, and imitating the adults around them.
Through a recent Instagram video, the ‘Property Brothers’ star opened up about an incident involving his son, Parker, that he describes as “heartbreaking.”
The incident that became a wake-up call for the dad“I don't know who needs to hear this, but if you run a mile a minute, which I tend to, I think you might relate to this story,” he began the message, before getting into the specific memory with his son. “I came home one day and I saw Parker, and I'm like, ‘Hey Parker, give me a hug.' And he sort of ran away,” Scott explained. “And then he went and picked up one of his toys and held it to his ear. He actually started walking around and going, ‘I'm on a business call.'”
For Scott, the playful imitation wasn't funny- it was a wake-up call. He immediately realized that his son associated him more with work calls than with quality family time. For the dad of two, the experience made him think of how often he is on his phone in front of his kids.
“It was heartbreaking for me because he just saw me on calls all the time. So that was a wake-up for me to not be on my phone when I'm around the kids,” he continued. “To show them that I'm actually present, I'm listening to their questions, I'm answering, I'm playing with them.”
Why the child imitated his father and what does it meanFor many of us, this may seem like a small interruption to a busy schedule. However, psychology says that young children learn through observation . When children are young, they copy the habits of the people around them. In Parker's case, picking up a toy, holding it to his ear and saying, "I'm on a business call," suggested that this was one of the behaviours he had seen his father perform frequently.
The moment became a wake-up call because it made the father realise that his son associated him with work calls rather than with play or conversation. It made him rethink about the amount of time he gives his children for his son to act that way.
What parents can learn from thisDrew Scott's experience is one that many modern parents may relate to. Between demanding jobs, household responsibilities and the constant presence of smartphones, it is easy for work to spill into family time. While no parent can be available every moment of the day, the incident serves as a reminder that children notice the habits adults often overlook.
Young children don't measure love by the number of hours a parent spends with them, they remember how present that parent is. A few minutes of uninterrupted play, reading together before bed, or simply putting the phone away during a conversation can make a child feel valued and secure.
The takeaway isn't that parents should feel guilty about working. Rather, it's that children learn more from what they see than from what they are told. The way parents balance work and family, respond to loved ones and make time for everyday moments quietly shapes a child's understanding of relationships.
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