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And I really find people who quickly say "I'm bored" just because no one/nothing is amusing them right now annoying. "I'm bored, there's nothing to do". REALLY? Find something to amuse yourself. Get up and do something.
I once had a professor who, when a fellow student complained that an assigned reading was boring, replied, "Everything is boring when you're stupid."
A harsh way to say that intelligent people can find a way to interest themselves.
I don't think boredom itself is the problem; what is the problem is when children absorb the idea that boredom is a negative feeling that must be remedied.
I was always sent outside to play. We had a fenced backyard and I had a swing set, slide, sandbox and a little tent I could put up to play in. I was an only child and there were only 3 kids my age in my immediate neighbourhood so I spent a lot of time playing by myself and inventing my own fun.
I will never forget the time when visiting friends whose daughter was 3. She was playing tea party on her own iPad, tapping away on the screen, while her collection of dolls and her play tea set sat 10 feet away in a corner.
I really believe kids need to be allowed the freedom to invent and create from their own minds, not just participating in structured activities and using electronics that entertain for them while they sit passively.
Sure. You don't see as many kids playing outdoors. They're perched on their computers and gaming devices to the detriment of, among other things, social skills. I read that young people in the workplace are "uncomfortable" speaking directly with their company's clients on the phone. That's no surprise.
As for the boredom, maybe they need to hear, You're bored? Come and find me. I'll give you something to do!
Then, they could get busy doing something else they seem not to be expected to do nowadays: [gasp!] chores.
Why is school so boring? Let me rephrase that, why are some teachers so very boring? Why should we accept being forced to sit and listen to someone drone on and on, wasting our precious life, because they don't have the skills to pique our interest? (I do note, some subjects are going to be boring. But don't accept that school in general is supposed to boring kid, get used to it, because get ready, the rest of your life is going to be boring too).
Given free time, I'm never, ever bored. If I'm forced to sit in a training, where I already know the material being taught, and forced to appear to be paying attention the whole time (that is, I can't whip out out a book or strike up an interesting conversation with another participant), I can become bored to the point of being angry.
On the other hand, I'm thrilled to say that my children and siblings and husband are never bored, if we are given freedom to amuse ourselves.
And I really find people who quickly say "I'm bored" just because no one/nothing is amusing them right now annoying. "I'm bored, there's nothing to do". REALLY? Find something to amuse yourself. Get up and do something.
I think you're missing the point of the article. It's basically saying there's nothing wrong with teaching it the old way with speech and maybe just a chalkboard. Instead of flash and glitzy attention getters to gain the attention of students. "Bing bing bing.. we have winner!" type carnival approach.
This article I think does a better job of highlighting this sentiment. Really good read:
Why? Because boredom represents your window onto infinity. And that is to say, onto your own insignificance. “For boredom speaks the language of time, and it is to teach you the most valuable lesson in your life … the lesson of your utter insignificance.” Boredom puts your existence into perspective “the net result of which is precision and humility.” The more you learn about your own size “the more humble and compassionate you become to your likes.”
Is boredom the ingredient our “snowflake” generation is missing?
Sure. You don't see as many kids playing outdoors. They're perched on their computers and gaming devices to the detriment of, among other things, social skills. I read that young people in the workplace are "uncomfortable" speaking directly with their company's clients on the phone. That's no surprise.
As for the boredom, maybe they need to hear, You're bored? Come and find me. I'll give you something to do!
Then, they could get busy doing something else they seem not to be expected to do nowadays: [gasp!] chores.
I remember reading something similar and thinking it was brilliant. A mother said any time her kids complained of being bored she assigned them a cleaning task. Kids should have chores to do, but this was "extra" and worked like a charm.
My son rarely complains of boredom - he loves reading and legos so there's always something to do. Last year his school sent home a packet of different things to work on. Not mandatory, but I guess in case we wanted it. The first week of vacation he said he was bored and I ripped out a few pages and had him sit down and do them. He tried to backpedal and I said, "Oh, no. It's time for a little schoolwork if you're finding being away from school, doing whatever you like all day boring." I haven't heard the word since!
I'm (male) an only child, and loneliness and boredom were common experiences for me while growing up. My family rarely played with me, since they had more important things to do. And when they did play with me, it was with an air of teaching me morals/values/whatever, rather than just having fun and being silly. I begged my parents for a sibling and/or a pet, but they always refused. "Brady Bunch" was a popular show at the time, and my parents let me watch it. I was so jealous of that TV family; the kids seemed so happy, even when Marcia was getting all the attention.
I had friends who lived on the same block, and I was allowed to walk to their houses. But they had their own lives, and couldn't be available to play with me any time I felt like it. Plus, one friend had a younger brother. So evenings were generally the times of boredom. To add insult to the injury, my parents often fought with each other right in front of me, and I had no sibling to turn to for comfort/consolation, and I wasn't allowed to talk about the fights to other kids.
I spoke about it (being bored at home and my parents fighting) to the first therapist I saw at age 9. He came back with a bunch of platitudes and gaslighting tactics. Which made me realize that he was either dangerously untrustworthy or just plain dumb. So I never brought it up again, and just went along with whatever crap he wanted me to do or talk to him about.
I can't say it made me a better person. Quite the opposite: it made me view family as a generally unpleasant place/situation to live in. As a result, I'm staunchly childfree (I've yet to get a vasectomy, though; I'm terrified of it going wrong), and I avoid marriage like the plague. To the point of pushing away any women who try to get romantically close to me.
I'm seeing all these small children with tablets...
Let Children Get Bored Again
Boredom teaches us that life isn’t a parade of amusements. More important, it spawns creativity and self-sufficiency.
Pamela Paul
But boredom is something to experience rather than hastily swipe away.
Despite the lesson most adults learned growing up — boredom is for boring people — boredom is useful. It’s good for you. If kids don’t figure this out early on, they’re in for a nasty surprise.
I'm (male) an only child, and loneliness and boredom were common experiences for me while growing up. My family rarely played with me, since they had more important things to do. And when they did play with me, it was with an air of teaching me morals/values/whatever, rather than just having fun and being silly. I begged my parents for a sibling and/or a pet, but they always refused. "Brady Bunch" was a popular show at the time, and my parents let me watch it. I was so jealous of that TV family; the kids seemed so happy, even when Marcia was getting all the attention..
I never liked that TV show because it presented such an unrealistic portrayal of family life. The parents were rich, lived in a big home, were beautiful, healthy and had no troubles other than trivial issues.
I never liked that TV show because it presented such an unrealistic portrayal of family life. The parents were rich, lived in a big home, were beautiful, healthy and had no troubles other than trivial issues.
Well, today, I find it too quaint for my taste. But as a kid, I used to vicariously (and jealously) live my life in a large family by watching that show. I suppose my parents let me watch it because they liked the fact that I liked an old show, rather than today's stuff they weren't into.
You know, I was never bored as a child because I was a reader. If I wasn't doing something fun like biking or playing with other kids outside, I was reading. I am not sure how the boredom itself is useful. What is and was useful was being able to figure out different creative things to do.
Same here. I've always been a reader, and I'm almost never bored. I think maybe a love a reading is the single best thing to help a child get through life - for all kinds of reasons.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PriscillaVanilla
My daughter has a friend who brings his I-pad to birthday parties and his parents let him do this. But then complain that he does not have any social skills.
Is there someone to break the news to the parents?
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Quite the opposite: it made me view family as a generally unpleasant place/situation to live in. As a result, I'm staunchly childfree (I've yet to get a vasectomy, though; I'm terrified of it going wrong), and I avoid marriage like the plague. To the point of pushing away any women who try to get romantically close to me.
