Parents are learning how to respond to their kids complaining that they're bored.
Most parents are terrified of hearing their kids utter the words, “I’m bored!”
It’s as if their kids are saying, “I’m bleeding!”
That’s how intense it feels to some parents when they hear that their kids are bored. Suddenly it’s an urgent situation that needs to be dealt with.
Do you react similarly when your kids say they’re bored?
Do you have some friends who freak out if their kids are bored?
Sometimes parents are afraid of their kids being bored because they’re afraid (in some way) of their own boredom or inability to be happy sitting still, doing “nothing” and just letting their minds wander.
As adults we’re great at telling ourselves that we should always be doing something because…well, there’s always so much to get done, right?
But kids don’t need to get that message right away.
So how about letting your kids be bored?
How about not rushing off to fill their schedules with more “stuff”?
How about letting them find ways to be creative and entertain themselves without electronics?
Check out what Bethe Almeras over at Grass Stain Guru has to say about letting kids be bored:
Like anything else, it just takes a little practice. If you swoop in with an activity or “solution” to their boredom every time, of course it is going to be difficult for them to work through things on their own. But they will. The whining will stop and the creativity will flow. Just have a little patience…
Creativity, self-reliance, self-direction, problem-solving — all of these skills are the hallmarks of a successful adult. They are also all things that children can learn through play and finding their way out of boredom. Let’s face it — coping with boredom is a life skill that everyone should have, so why not foster it now?
Love it!
Your kids can learn to be successful adults while also getting their creativity going and entertaining themselves with simple things like crayons and paper.
Click through to the full article to see The Grass Stain Guru’s ideas for helping your kids get through their boredom…without helping them too much.
Boredom Is Not A 4-Letter Word [GrassStainGuru]
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Mona — Thanks for taking on this issue and including my post at The Grass Stain Guru! Obviously, I feel that this issue really relates to some of the core issues with childhood & parenting today: over-structuring, lack of independence, creativity, resiliency, and so on and so on.
Cheers- Bethe @balmeras