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> Are you sure you are cultivating his attention span, or were you both just born like that, and he is getting older and more mature?

Ah, nature vs. nurture-- perhaps not the most novel take.

> The hours you spend with your children (5 hours a day would be really difficult with 3 kids) during a couple of years in their childhood is not that important to their adult personality. It’s a combination of traits from birth, which class mates they get, the teachers, if they get sick, infections, siblings, grand parents, media, culture...

It sure looks like activities during age 0-5 have a huge impact on overall trajectory. Yes, the genetic starting point matters, as does everything else afterwards.

> not to cultivate this or that personality trait.

IMO this is the biggest problem. I think being excessively intentional has significant potential downsides.

Not to say that we must all spend five hours per day with our kids or they’re doomed, but there actually is research indicating that the first few years of life are disproportionately influential in personality formation.

> Are you sure you are cultivating his attention span, or were you both just born like that, and he is getting older and more mature?

That think really works, I encountered the idea first time when I read about Montessory system. I dont know effects in long term, but in short term. If you make it strategy to not break kids attention, kids attention span goes up.

If you think about it, the same thing actually works with adults. When you are interrupted every few moments (for example by management, colleges or kid) you have harder time to focus for long spans. Once the interruptions stop, your attention span goes up.