Not being present is an ego protection mechanism. Its classic psychology. As children get older, they develop ideas of who they are and naturally develop ways t

Not being present is an ego protection mechanism. Its classic psychology. As children get older, they develop ideas of who they are and naturally develop ways to protect their emotions. When peoples' mind wanders, they cling to things that made them feel good or "Day dream" of things that would make them feel good. They're not planning ahead or thinking about contingencies. Dealing with reality is hard, and being present means continually facing this harsh world. You can observe this with not just kids but adults in the modern world as people are more and more detached from reality and can live in some fantasy context by reinforcing with social media and internet echo chambers