Drew Scott's 'heartbreaking' moment with son made him rethink work-life approach
Drew Scott has a son named Parker and a daughter called Piper with his wife, Linda Phan.
Drew Scott's son gave him a wake-up call to not let work trump family time.
The 48-year-old TV personality recalled a "heartbreaking" moment when Parker, four, picked up on how much time he spends on his phone around the house.
In a video posted on Instagram on Tuesday (23.06.26), Drew said: "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."
As footage of the tot holding Drew's phone popped up on the screen, he continued: "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. And then he went and picked up one of his toys and held it to his ear, and he actually started walking around and going, ‘I'm on a business call.'
"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. To show them that I'm actually present, I'm listening to their questions, I'm answering, I'm playing with them."
The Property Brothers alum - who also has a two-year-old daughter named Piper with his 41-year-old wife, philanthropist Linda Phan - stressed that the "balance with family is very important".
Drew added that after filming for a project ended for lunch, he went home for Piper's music class.
As a clip of her doing the activity was shown, he continued: "It's a small thing, but for me to be present there, I can see it in Piper's face; she gets excited. And for me, it's heartwarming, and I love it.
"But if I was just to be in my busy, busy work pace, I would do calls over my lunch, and I would skip that. Then all of a sudden I would look back years from now and think I missed these crucial points in my baby's life."
The star - whose 48-year-old twin, Jonathan Scott, is engaged to 46-year-old actress Zooey Deschanel - ended his video by telling his fans to "establish what your priorities are".
Drew continued: "Even if you don't have kids, maybe it's nice to spend a bit more time with your parents, maybe it's nice to spend some time with your siblings or your best friends.
"It's going to feel pretty empty at the end of your career or at the end of your life if you look back and all you did was work. And don't be that person checking your phone when you're hanging out with family."