Children often say.
“Daddy/Mommy, I’m bored.”
And our response is usually,
“Okay, okay, let’s go play outside.”
Or, “Sorry, daddy/mommy is busy right now, so can you go play by yourself in your room?”
Is that about right?
In fact, it’s really important to play and spend time with our children. When children express that they’re
bored, perhaps it wasn’t boredom at all, but a longing. We, as parents, also need to have the freedom to
stop whatever we are doing and just have fun with our children. For us, we often take them for walks
whenever they’re bored.
Sometimes children’s expressions of boredom can be an expression of their frustrations. In our family,
with so many daughters, we’ve found that simply chatting and laughing together can be a powerful tool.
This connection helps release their frustration and strengthens our bond.
But it leaves us wondering: How long? How much more play time would ever satisfy them?
By the grace of God, we’ve learned to respond (with a serious yet playful face),
“Hey kids, it’s okay, it’s not a bad (weird) thing to be bored, because we all get bored in life. Let’s just
practice being bored, okay?” and then ‘deliberately’ send the child back into the midst of the boredom.
Boredom holds equal importance to play in a child’s development. Boredom is when we get creative,
when we get our hands dirty and it serves as a catalyst for creativity, nudging us toward uncharted
territories. However, today’s children have been robbed of their right to be bored. They have no time left
to do nothing and get bored because they are too busy studying, watching media, texting, playing games,
staying online and never ending supply of stimulants.
When boredom strikes, children start to sing songs. Sometimes they grab a crayon and start drawing on
the walls. One of the things they reach for when they’re bored is a book. Even teenagers need a boring
environment. That’s when the passion to learn on their own comes into play.
Someone once said.
“The lack of genius in this day and age is largely due to the electric light.”
“The lack of genius in this day and age is largely due to the invention of the electric light.”
Although benefits of this invention are undeniable, it also diminished our precious time. Gone are the
nights of sitting by flickering candlelight, embracing the companionship of darkness and silence, and
engaging deeply into introspection through prayer. These losses may not sound so innovative, but are
worth acknowledging in my opinion.
In our home, we frequently lead our children toward moments of sitting still, referred to as “time out”.
Time outs are implemented when excessive shouting and talking, sibling conflict, or persistent
complaints after playtime threaten to overwhelm our hearts.
“Okay children, now it’s time for you to sit still here on the couch.” (With a pleasant smile).
When it’s ‘time’, my children know what to do. They go to their spots and sit down, and before you know
it, there’s silence and peace in the house. After a while, I let them go to their own seats. Younger
children are already asleep on the couch, while older children go and start their homework. Many times,
I see them get started on something more productive.
Most importantly, it is through these boredoms that children’s longing for God is catalyzed. If a child has
no time to be bored, they have so much less motivation to encounter God. In this context, we can
understand more about John the Baptist’s and Jesus’ time spent in the wilderness.
Take a look at Abraham. Abraham was sitting at the door of his tent (with nothing to do) on a blazing hot
day when he noticed the Lord and two angels appearing opposite him. Suddenly, Abraham, who had
nothing to do, was given a tremendous honor: the honor of being able to serve food directly to God. He
was also given the grace to save Lot’s family from Sodom and Gomorrah, along with the promise of many
descendants.
Parents, don’t feel guilty about letting your kids get bored; that may be the time God has planned for
them.
At this point, I’m sure some of you have thought to yourself.
“So smartphones are the root of it all, isn’t it?”
Yes, that’s right, it’s the media and the internet that steal our boredom. It’s imperative that we ‘wise up’
and protect our children from them, so it’s important that we protect them as much as we can. After all,
unless you build a fence and protect your sheep, you can’t effectively keep the wolves out.
It can be important to expose children to a variety of exciting events, but we don’t need to fill every
moment of their lives with excitement.
It’s okay to be bored, that’s when creativity grows.
It’s okay to be bored, because that’s when we can encounter our Lord.
Let’s protect our children’s right to be bored!