Australian mother surprised by her child's question on Christmas Day

A mother-of-two revealed how her children made this year the 'best Christmas ever' by putting away adults' phones.

Newcastle-based HR consultant Shelley Johnson shared a photo of the 'phone cage' the children in her family made for Christmas on Thursday.

'Telephone cage! Put your phone here,” read a sign on the front of the box.

“While the family is here, you are not allowed to use your phone without the children's permission!”

Mrs. Johnson said her young niece came up with the idea.

“One of the best things about my family Christmas was our kids putting all of our phones in 'phone jail' for most of the day,” she explained.

'It felt strange not to take pictures of every little thing, no pictures of the table setting. No pictures of the kids opening presents, no pictures of the cheesecake.

“The only thing I was able to take a photo of was this phone cage right before it was seized.

'It was so good. As soon as we arrived, my nine-year-old niece took all our phones and locked them up; they were all so into it.”

She added that the experience was eye-opening, writing “by recording everything we often miss everything.”

“Afterwards everyone thought, that was the best Christmas ever,” she said.

“I think the phone cage was the reason.

'I wonder how much we miss by recording things. Just as the absence of telephones equals presence in real life.'

She added: 'Quality time with family is so rare. And it's easy to get distracted by endless posting and scrolling. But our children notice when we are not there.

'We use our phones to capture all the moments, but we end up missing the most important ones.

“This year at our family Christmas, the absence of phones meant in-person presence.”

Newcastle-based mother-of-two Shelley Johnson (pictured with her children) said the lack of phones led to the 'best Christmas ever'

The Australians all applauded the children's decision to hide the phones and enjoy some quality family time.

'My children are the same way. I love it because you're absolutely right: when my phone is out of sight, it's out of mind and I can be fully present,” one person said.

'I'm a BIG yes to more phone cages!! I recently 'put away' my own phone and it has made a significant difference in a very short time,” wrote another.

“Agreed, I just spent two hours with my kid at the local pool, no phone. Family time is more important than work,” said another.

'This is amazing! We need to relearn how to share some of the precious time with gadgets, but with loved ones,” wrote a fourth.

Another added: “I love that the car was driven by the kids.”