When I was a kid and I’d say “I’m bored”, my mom or dad would say “go bang your head against the wall”. They didn’t mean it literally, but the intent was clear, go entertain yourself. Nowadays boredom hardly exists. In our pockets we hold amazing entertainment devices. Is the fact that parents now rarely, if ever, hear the words “I’m bored” a good thing?
According to some experts, kids need to be bored to get to know themselves. They need to explore and examine their own thoughts and feelings to develop and grow. Screens are literally becoming mind-numbing. Even when bored, you brain never rests, it can actually ramp up activity. We recently wrote about meditating, and thinking of nothing is hard. Left to it’s own devices (no pun intended), your brain will wander and create and take you places. This is good and even a necessary part of life. By constantly delivering stimulus, we inhibit this daydreaming.
Daydreaming can inspire curiosity and creativity, the very things that lead to inventiveness. It also fosters concentration. Both of these things can help kids develop perseverance and grit, key elements to future success. If your child is bored, give them a task or challenge. On a long drive through Wyoming we told our kids to put their screens away and look out the window. They were fine for a while, but then began to protest. We gave them the task of spotting 20 different kinds of animals. They spent the next several hours naming everything from ground squirrels to horses, and even spotted a moose.
Next time you hear your child say “I’m bored” or better yet, they have their face in their device, look at it as an opportunity to send them inside themselves. A time to nurture their minds and develop skills that will make them more competent adults. Maybe even try it yourself. Turn off, drop out and let your own mind wander, who knows where it will lead.
