A few minutes ago I tossed my son his cellphone only to have it bounce off his head. I bring that to you folks because I’ve noticed a troubling trend, young people can’t be bothered to pay enough attention to me to complete the catch. This was the third such incident in a week. The older son muffed a set of car keys like I was Colin Kaepernick throwing a pass to Michael Crabtree. A few days before that, I javelined his friend in the chest with a pen, after I said here you go to his request for one. Personally I think kids are spending so much time on their cellphones that they have short attention spans. That or I need to stop throwing things at people.
Or you never played catch with him growing up. Did you teach him how to swim? Some really bad jokes to remember you by?
If you don’t spend time with your son, you are going to be remembered as that man (or woman) who inexplicably threw things at him. If you are lucky, as the food provider. You will have begotten (or borne) generations of nerds who cannot catch. It is not too late.
My oldest has some trouble catching, although he’s much better than what the OP described. Youngest was able to catch at a very early age; he ha what coaches call “soft hands.”
If someone throws something at me, I prefer to step out of the way. I did that for forty-odd years until I lost the sight in one eye, and having no depth perception for a decade or two certainly hasn’t changed my mind.
If I want something, I’ll take a couple of steps to get it. If you want me to have something, take a couple of steps and hand it to me.
[/snark]
OP needs to stop tossing cellphones. That is not a design specification. And it’s not covered by the warranty.
Attention span is not the problem IMO. Catching is a motor skill that has to be trained and practiced early and often. Me, I can’t be bothered to always have my fielder’s glove. I can receive a passed basketball but barehanding small objects inflight or on the bounce has given me much trouble since 1965. Oh, I’m paying attention, I’m looking at you throwing the object, but the solution for where the hand should intersect the object’s trajectory gets stuck in between the visual and motor cortexes for longer than it takes to get there. Meanwhile the more efficient cluster that controls reflexes is urgently commanding to deflect and dodge, not to catch (even more so if the trajectory will otherwise intersect the face or trunk).
I just tossed a USB stick from my left to my right hand six times. Four of them I was unable to keep it from hitting the desk.
Throw harder.
I could do that, but then I’d have to get up from what I’m doing, walk over, and hand it over then walk back. Clearly time better spent reading the SDMB. What do you say to that huh, huh?
People often don’t expect to have a household item tossed at them. It’s up to the tosser to make sure the receiver knows he needs to catch something. Whether that’s through eye contact and a fake toss motion first to convey what’s about to happen, or through verbalizing “here, catch” and making sure he hears you first.
Your description sounds like you’re not fulfilling your obligation to make sure people know you’re about to bean them. If you said you had given all the signals, your son had made eye contact and was holding his hands out to catch, and STILL got beaned in the head, then you might have something to worry about.
I have poor vision in one eye and poor depth perception, so I’m probably not going to catch it, and I’m probably going to flinch, as I have a tough time telling what is or is not about to hit me smack in the face.
Please don’t throw stuff at me. It’s embarrassing to me that I can’t catch, and I’m constantly having to go around looking for things I’ve failed to catch. Just hand me whatever you are going to hand me.
Context.
I once made my living as a professional juggler. Yet, I was just as likely to miss the car keys as anyone else. It depends on who is throwing, how much of a surprise it is, quality of the throw, etc.
The accepted method is to yell “Think fast!” while you’re throwing the item. 
I like to toss things also. It is a game. But, I have learned to give a count of three before you toss. Have eye contact with the receiver, do the count and toss. Always with a soft touch. It goes up and comes down to the receiver.
wrenches.
yell “FREE WRENCH” and throw it at them.
come back with details please.
I always think “scam” when someone yells “FREE WRENCH”. Who gives s away free wrenches, right? Pocketknives or penlights I could see. Day planers, sure, but wrenches? Come on.
I suggests buying nerf balls. Make a game out of throwing it different ways. overhanded, under handed, over a shoulder, behind the back. The kid will eventually learn to catch. A nerf ball won’t hurt anybody.
What, no Arrested Development reference?
Catching things tossed your way isn’t an automatic response. Dodging them or slapping them away is. People have to be taught to catch. That being said, if someone who knows me tosses something for me to catch and if I actually do it they are usually amazed.
I often bean our cats on the head while tossing fuzzy mice for them to play with. One would think that cats would be better at that than humans because they are hardwired to catch insects and mice that might jump at their faces, but I probably hit once of them once a week.
For the record, I’m in my late 30’s and I’ve never been able to catch anything thrown/tossed at me.
I was raised how to use tools properly. That meant anytime I dropped something one should immediately back away and not reach for it. Replacing an expensive tool, or anything else, is infinitely cheaper that cuts, slices, amputations, death. I’m so ingrained in that now my wife almost collapses into hysterical laughter when I drop anything (think DVD, book, newspaper, car keys, etc.).
Thank your lucky stars I don’t live in a city with tall building when children fall out of open windows …
I could catch a ricocheted bullet. I play football with a beer in one hand. While keeping score in dart matches, I grab the bounce-outs before they hit the floor.
Clues? Not a chance.
Actually, we have no nerf products in our home. They are commonly ingested by dogs, creating gastric/intestinal obstruction requiring surgical intervention.