Everyone talks about children being resilient yet most people are terrified of letting a child be bored.
This IS Resilience 101.
From infanthood on up, not knowing what to think or do next IS a gift.
It is the body’s way of pacing us.
It is NOT your job to entertain and fill in every quiet moment.
It is NOT your job to occupy every waking moment with an EXPERIENCE.
Children are taught to run from boredom. Children are taught that stillness is bad. The body is asking for the opposite. The body/mind craves a full stop, a pause, reflection…
Instead, you must remind yourself to be comfortable with silence and boredom yourself.
If you do not accept boredom as a learning opportunity for yourself, then how can you model it for your child.
Boredom is a gift for: Infants/Toddlers/Preschoolers/School Age/Teenagers who are bored learn:
Adults are not entertainers.
Being still is not bad.
Thinking can inspire new ideas.
Use toys in new ways makes them new again.
Watching someone without interrupting is informative.
Being by yourself isn’t a bad thing.
Boredom doesn’t signal a problem.
Shopping doesn’t cure boredom (it will return).
What do I say?
“Indeed you are.”
“I wonder how long it will last”
“You can sit with me till you have an idea”
“Ok”
“Yup, it happens to me so I read.”
“Oh yeah, I usually clean until a new idea comes.”
“Hello, ‘I’m bored’ nice to meet you!”
Start working on it today. It will take a while to build this muscle, but it is so worth it.
Why? because you want teens and young adults who don’t run from boredom directly into drama, over-the-top antics, or spur-of-the-moment bad ideas simply because they were never taught to be bored.
Boredom is a Gift…does this make you think of boredom differently?
