A Plea for Boredom

Why didn’t anyone tell me to watch New Girl sooner? It’s FABULOUS- just the light-hearted, warm distraction I crave when procrastinating any daily mundane task. If you’re not familiar with it, the show centers on a quirky girl in L.A. and her silly male roommates in a huge loft as they navigate the usual tropes of romance, heartbreak, career changes, and adjusting from adolescent 20’s to more mature life in their 30’s. 

Most of us have some nostalgic stories like these. Inside jokes, crazy ways we passed the time before we were glued endlessly to screens. I bet you tell your children about them, amused at the bewilderment on their little faces. What do you mean there was no internet? Computers did what? Telephones on WIRES? Yup. And in that, you smile thinking about games of kick the can, plays you created, weird games or kitchen creations, bike jumps, sports, whatever on earth you did to pass the time. 

And recently, a lot of children got a small taste of this. Power and water outages left many families getting creative to pass the time, keep warm, and heat meals. I don’t wish for more catastrophes like we recently experienced here in Texas, but I do recommend taking one little grain from that back into life with all the lights and noise we’re accustomed to. 

Please. Please give this gift to your children. LET THEM BE BORED. I promise it’s good for them, even if it may be annoying for you in the short-term. Productive boredom requires a few things, and is different from simply relaxing. Monotonous tasks are so good for cultivating boredom, which leads to creativity. Sorting laundry, raking leaves, shelling peas, time at home without screens or provided audio, or child-led time outside are just a few ways to get the ball rolling. 

We’re all sick and tired of our screens, and yet we find ourselves drawn right back to them for entertainment between video chat meetings. Many instruments are acoustic. They require and possess few to no flashing lights. Painting, writing, crafting, collecting rocks, whatever it may be is a wonderful escape and so good for all of our minds and bodies. 

So, here’s your reminder to encourage and allow your children (and yourself) to be bored. You never know what wonderful things may come of it!