With summer right around the corner, parents will soon hear
cries of “I’m bored” from their children. But is being bored such a terrible
thing?
Boredom is a relatively new thing, as children of previous
centuries had not free time in which to be bored. In fact, if a medieval times
child had displayed boredom symptoms, the person would be charged with
committing “acedia, a ‘dangerous form
of spiritual alienation’—a devaluing of the world and its creator.” Acedia was
labeled as sin, what with all the things a family had to do for mere survival
during that time period.
With the many labor-saving devices of our American
households, most U.S.
children have the luxury of free time, which they tend to fill with
electronics. However, that constant stream of electronic stimuli has breed a
new boredom epidemic, one that’s fueled by an ever-growing need of kids for
constant electronic amusement, from video games to television and movies to
Angry Birds to iPads and computers.
Parents are partly to blame for this new, negative form of a
numbed mind because of their lack of tolerance for any whining from their
children. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen toddlers in a grocery cart,
their eyes fixed on the screen of their mom’s smartphone, oblivious to the
world around them. At the first peep from a young child at the doctor’s office,
out comes the smartphone and into the little hands goes the electronic
babysitter.
Of course, we as parents are no different, are we? We numb
our own minds with electronic stimuli all day long, from constant Facebook and
Twitter checks, to texting while walking, driving, sitting at a traffic light,
at the table, at the store, etc. It’s starting to be the exception when you see
a grown-up in public who’s not tethered to a phone or tablet (that would be
me!).
When our kids see us always being “entertained” and plugged
in with electronic devices, it’s no wonder they beg for the same pacifier.
We’ve forgotten how important the right kind of boredom can be to stimulate
creativity and spurts of pure fun and genius.
There’s “an important distinction between a constructively
bored mind and a negatively numbed mind. Constructively bored kids eventually
turn to a book or build a fort or pull out the paints … and create or come home
sweaty from a game of neighborhood basketball,” writes Richard Louv in his
excellent call for kids to be outdoors, Last
Child in the Woods.
This summer, I challenge you to unplug your kids for a week.
No TV, no video games, no movies, no smartphones or computers or tablets. Just
them and their world. Sure, the first day will be spent with them saying they
have nothing to do, but if you persevere and don’t give in, soon they will find
their imaginations again, and that will be a beautiful thing.
For non-electronic ideas, check out my ebook Boredom
Busters. Only 99 cents on Kindle
and iPad, Nook and other
devices.
Until next time,
Sarah
(All quotes from Last
Child in the Woods by Richard Louv, pages 166 to 168.)
