--- title: Cold parents: always on the phone — a lesson of Mova's school · trees and pragmatics description: «Cold parents: always on the phone», a lesson of the everyday course of Mova's primary school, sentence by sentence with dependency trees and pragmatics. It begins: In Brighton, Avery runs in with a gold star. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/495-cold-parents-always-on-the-phone/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/) / [Everyday](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/) / Cold parents: always on the phone # Cold parents: always on the phone Lesson 495 of the everyday course of Mova's primary school: 38 sentences, each with its syntax tree and pragmatics. The lessons are written for Mova, and their agreed trees are part of Mova corpus 0.4 (CC BY-SA 4.0). How Mova does on its tests: [the lesson at school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/everyday/495-cold-parents-always-on-the-phone/). - [0](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/495-cold-parents-always-on-the-phone/0/) — In Brighton, Avery runs in with a gold star. - [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/495-cold-parents-always-on-the-phone/3/) — Avery feels invisible. - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/495-cold-parents-always-on-the-phone/4/) — Some parents are glued to their phones, for work or out of habit, and they often don't notice what it feels like. - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/495-cold-parents-always-on-the-phone/5/) — A clear ask often works: «Can you put your phone down for one minute?» In Cardiff, Lowri's mam works from home and says, «Not now, cariad, I'm on a call» («cariad» is Welsh for love) every single day, so Lowri stops asking. - [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/495-cold-parents-always-on-the-phone/6/) — A plan works better than «now»: «Can we play after your last call?» - [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/495-cold-parents-always-on-the-phone/7/) — Some parents are cool or distant: they say little and rarely praise or hug. - [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/495-cold-parents-always-on-the-phone/8/) — In Seattle, Bertie wins a science prize; Dad says, «Cool,» and goes back to his game. - [9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/495-cold-parents-always-on-the-phone/9/) — «It's giving zero interest,» Bertie mutters («it's giving» means it looks like). - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/495-cold-parents-always-on-the-phone/10/) — In Norwich, Sid watches his friend's dad hug him after a match and wishes his own dad would. - [11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/495-cold-parents-always-on-the-phone/11/) — It's often about the parent's own stress or how they were brought up, not about the child. - [12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/495-cold-parents-always-on-the-phone/12/) — Sid can ask for a hug, and everyone can share their wins with other grown-ups too: a teacher, a grandparent, a coach. - [13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/495-cold-parents-always-on-the-phone/13/) — You deserve to be noticed. - [14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/495-cold-parents-always-on-the-phone/14/) — In Essex, dinner is Mum on Instagram, Dad on emails and Harvey on YouTube, and nobody speaks. - [15](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/495-cold-parents-always-on-the-phone/15/) — It feels normal, but empty. - [16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/495-cold-parents-always-on-the-phone/16/) — Families can drift apart through screens without noticing, and anyone can suggest «no phones at dinner», as long as it's for everyone, Harvey included. - [17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/495-cold-parents-always-on-the-phone/17/) — In London, Rosa's dad picks her up for the weekend after the divorce, says «hola» and stares at his phone till Sunday. - [18](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/495-cold-parents-always-on-the-phone/18/) — She feels like a parcel being collected. - [19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/495-cold-parents-always-on-the-phone/19/) — It's not her fault; some parents struggle after a divorce, and she can tell her mum or a trusted adult how weekends feel. - [20](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/495-cold-parents-always-on-the-phone/20/) — When home is cold, children look for warmth elsewhere, and that's healthy. - [21](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/495-cold-parents-always-on-the-phone/21/) — In Leeds, Juno tells her teacher, «Mum's busy,» about parents' evening, though she knows Mum just didn't want to come; she can tell her teacher how she feels. - [22](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/495-cold-parents-always-on-the-phone/22/) — In Brisbane, Ty's mum never asks about his day, so after school, every arvo («arvo» is Aussie for afternoon), he tells his teacher everything instead. - [23](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/495-cold-parents-always-on-the-phone/23/) — In Dundee, Callie gets hurt at school and her mam says, «Ye're fine, stop greetin'» («greetin'» is Scots for crying) and goes back to the phone. - [24](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/495-cold-parents-always-on-the-phone/24/) — If you're hurt, tell a teacher or another grown-up: your feelings matter. - [25](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/495-cold-parents-always-on-the-phone/25/) — Not every quiet parent is cold. - [26](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/495-cold-parents-always-on-the-phone/26/) — In Edinburgh, Otto's dad hardly talks, but every Sunday he takes Otto fishing by the loch (Scots for lake). - [27](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/495-cold-parents-always-on-the-phone/27/) — They sit for hours and say almost nothing, and Otto thinks Dad doesn't care. - [28](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/495-cold-parents-always-on-the-phone/28/) — Then, packing up, Dad says, «Best day of my week, this.» Some people show love by sharing time, not words. - [29](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/495-cold-parents-always-on-the-phone/29/) — Notice the quiet ways people care, and if you're unsure, you can ask. - [30](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/495-cold-parents-always-on-the-phone/30/) — Some parents are glued to their phones for work or habit, and it can make children feel unimportant. - [31](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/495-cold-parents-always-on-the-phone/31/) — A clear, calm ask like «Can you put your phone down for one minute?» often works. - [33](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/495-cold-parents-always-on-the-phone/33/) — Some parents are cold or distant because of their own stress or upbringing; it is not the child's fault. - [34](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/495-cold-parents-always-on-the-phone/34/) — Some parents show love by doing things or sharing time, not by hugs or words. - [35](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/495-cold-parents-always-on-the-phone/35/) — Children can share their wins with other grown-ups, like a teacher, a grandparent or a coach. - [36](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/495-cold-parents-always-on-the-phone/36/) — You can ask a parent for a hug, and look for warmth from other people too. - [38](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/495-cold-parents-always-on-the-phone/38/) — Some parents struggle after a divorce and withdraw; it is not the child's fault, and the child can tell the other parent or a trusted adult. - [39](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/495-cold-parents-always-on-the-phone/39/) — Finding other grown-ups who listen, like a teacher, is healthy. - [40](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/495-cold-parents-always-on-the-phone/40/) — If you're hurt or upset and a parent brushes it off, tell a teacher or another grown-up; your feelings matter. - [41](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/495-cold-parents-always-on-the-phone/41/) — If you're not sure whether a quiet parent cares, you can notice what they do and you can ask. - ← previous: [Shouty parents and bad days](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/494-shouty-parents-and-bad-days/) - next →: [Parents who row, and one kind and one not](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/496-parents-who-row-and-one-kind-and-one-not/) - ↑ back to [Everyday](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/)