LOVE AND LOGIC
With our kids stuck at home and many of their extracurricular activities curtailed, you might have heard the following: “This is boring!” or “I’m bored. There’s nothing to do.”
In days gone by, most parents had extremely simple, practical, and effective responses to such whining, such as:
- “There are a lot of weeds that need to be pulled.”
- “I guess I haven’t given you enough chores to do.”
Is it so simple? Is it really okay for us to expect our children to assume personal responsibility for coping with dull times? Absolutely!
Because life can be boring, especially under our current conditions, doesn’t it make sense that we allow our children to practice handling it, instead of constantly rescuing them by providing exciting and fun activities?
Yep! Boredom can lead to creativity and achievement when we respond to complaining about it in some of the following ways:
- “What are you going to do about feeling so bored?”
- “Some kids decide to go out in the yard and clean up after the dog.”
- “Some kids decide to dust the furniture.”
- “Some kids decide to read a book.”
- “Sadly, some kids decide to go to their rooms and stay unhappy about it.”
Do you want your children to grow up believing that it is somebody else’s job to keep them entertained and happy? Or would you rather raise youngsters who know that the best way to feel good is to do something good?
Give your kids the great gift of boredom and you will be blessed with kids who are far less demanding, far more content, and much better prepared for life.
Dr. Charles Fay
