Bring back boredom!

What a privilege it is to be bored! To not be overwhelmed, to not have a full schedule, to have the gift of time. We spend so much time being busy (or feeling guilty when we’re not) that we sometimes forget that being bored is a good thing!

For children, being bored can be amazing! Once they’re safe and not getting into things they shouldn’t, being bored opens doors to creativity. I spent a good bit of my childhood (during vacation times especially) with my cousins doing the MOST! We were unsupervised so much of the time (or at least it felt that way, I have no idea where the adults were!), and we made our fun by coming up with lots of random games.

One night after about four of us had gotten the same OP shorts from a visiting family member, we decided we were on Olympic teams, and proceeded to have an Olympic competition throughout the house. What could go wrong??!!! All I remember is that when it was my turn, wanting to do the best, I ran into the bedroom and did some sort of flip on the bed, fell off the side, and sprained my wrist. Good fun though, nothing was broken!

Another game we had - created PURELY out of boredom - was pushing two mattresses together and jumping off the cupboard onto them (I famously climbed on top of the cupboard and was too scared to jump down, so spent hours on top of there until I figured out how to climb back down on my own. I learned my limits that day!) Or we would put the couch cushions along the walkway of the house and jump out of the window onto them. In either scenario, the mattresses and cushions sometimes moved apart, so someone landed on part soft and part floor. We learned to check to make sure the landing was safe, then go again!

We became geologists by digging up the dirt wall by the corner, fashionistas when we had modelling shows (this was facilitated by an aunt), elite athletes when we would slip and slide through the house (facilitated by the same aunt), Spiderman when we could climb between two walls (I’m sure some of you did the same so you know what I’m talking about!), and animal keepers when we “rescued” tadpoles. (I learned that day that tadpoles are NOT my thing and I nearly flung the cup with the tadpoles to get them away from me!!) There was also a wedding…..but that’s a story for another time!!!

Anyway, the point is, being bored led us to do things that challenged our thinking, helped us make decisions, solve problems, move our bodies, and have FUN! Many of the games did not have a clear goal in mind, or felt competitive, but I still remember many of them as the fun things that not only shaped by childhood, but taught me more about myself and my capabilities.

Sometimes we don’t need technology, toys and tools to learn and have a good time in the process. Sometimes “nothing” is the key. Let’s think of boredom as something to be embraced, a pathway to creativity, and encourage it once in a while!