Entertaining today’s children can seem like a scourge in our daily lives. How does one combat a child’s insatiable propensity for amusement? Second-screen devices, video game consoles, streamed television, and activities galore. Our kids have spiraled into a state of hyperstimulation. Not to mention, entertainment over-saturation. And, quite frankly, it can be a bit fucking much to manage at times. This begs the question, of whether kids (nowadays) possess the ability to endure some good old-fashioned “boredom”? Being that, parents invest so much to keep their kids constantly distracted. Myself included.
My Mistake
One of the worst mistakes I’ve made as a father was giving my son an iPad at age 4. It was a hand-me-down passed by my mother, that she had thoroughly abandoned, due to some technological challenges. Although I was apprehensive at first, once the mechanism was introduced and placed in his grasp, an unbreakable bond surely formed.
As the years progressed, we curbed his tablet use for fear of digital addiction. Limiting his screen time to 1 hour after dinner and weekends, only. Sadly, the damage had already been done. For, once a child experiences programming and gaming at their fingertips, it’s impossible to draw back that curtain. I quickly realized that such a gadget fueled a false notion and growing entitlement. That somehow, all hours of his days required us to entertain him in some manner. I was now stuck with a monster of my own creation.
The Benefits of Boredom
Allow me then to ask again, can modern children withstand being bored? Moreover, is there a lesson to be learned in the process?
One of the many benefits of, so-called, “boredom” in kids is that of observation and curiosity. They should experience mundane acts, such as a ride in the car, without the need for “fun”. Opting to look out of a window (now and again), view the world around them, and foster their own wonder. So much is missed by having their attention focused solely on whatever they’ve deemed as “more interesting”.
Boredom is also a vital tool for creativity. It challenges them to think independently from the context provided to them by their playthings. Developing their means to conceive original thought and expand the imagination. What so many children perceive as ìbeing boredî isnít boredom at all. It is simply their inability to recognize the potential of a moment without an obvious point of recreation.
Being Boring
Not only do I believe that today’s kids can tolerate boredom. But, I believe it is up to us parents to ensure that they do. There are times in life when nothing to do is a true gift. It is at these junctures that we are forced to create our own excitement and outcomes. One can never be truly bored. “Being bored is an insult to oneself”.