My Child Lost Her Phone Twice in a Row
During the recent airfield festival,
my daughter actually lost her phone.
We only realized it after getting home.
Fortunately, the phone was still on,
and its location tracking feature was working —
it showed up near the student union building
at Korea Aerospace University.
Of course, I was upset,
but I tried hard to hold it in.
Instead of scolding her,
I comforted her and spoke gently.
By Monday, I managed to contact the student union,
and thankfully, the phone was returned.
When my daughter, Eunbyul, got her phone back,
I realized something about myself.
I’ve always had a bit of a fixation
about losing or misplacing things.
Whenever something like this happens,
I blame myself and feel anxious for days.
My wife and daughter aren’t like that —
but I know they’re affected
when they see me stressed.
Eunbyul could see that losing something she valued
wasn’t just about the lost item anymore —
she also had to see her dad in distress.
After getting some “coaching” from my wife
on how to talk with our child,
I learned that the first step in any conversation
should be to understand the child’s emotions.
Discipline is sometimes necessary,
but before that, empathy matters more.
So I told her,
“I understand how that must have felt,”
and added,
“I just hope this doesn’t happen again.”
Then, a few days later…
it happened again.
Early in the morning,
Eunbyul came to me with teary eyes,
asking me to call her phone.
I could feel my anger meter rising.
I thought to myself, “This could go wrong.”
So I stepped into my room for a moment
to collect my thoughts.
“It wasn’t something she wanted to happen.”
“You’ve made mistakes like this too.”
When reasoning in my head isn’t enough,
saying it out loud helps calm me down.
This time, her phone was turned off,
so we might not find it.
But if I had to choose between
the phone and my daughter’s trust,
as a parent, the choice is obvious.
So I told her,
“It’s okay, Eunbyul.
Mom and I will help you look for it.
Don’t worry — just go to school.”
I don’t know who will read this,
but writing it down helps me sort through my thoughts.
I’m still learning how to be a parent,
and today was another step in that process.
