LIVING LOVE AND LOGIC TIP 8

WHY BOREDOM CAN BE A GOOD THING

If you've ever spent time around kids, you've certainly heard, "This is boring!" or "I'm bored. There’s nothing to do."

In days gone by, most parents had extremely simple, practical, and effective responses to such whining:

• "Here’s a rake."
• "Here’s a dust cloth."
• "There are a lot of weeds that need to be pulled."
• "I guess I haven’t given you enough chores to do."

Is that really legal? Could it really be so simple? Is it really okay for us to expect our children to assume personal responsibility for coping with dull times?

Absolutely! Since life is sometimes boring, doesn't it make sense that we allow our children to practice handling it, instead of constantly rescuing them by providing exciting and fun activities?

In our book, Love and Logic Magic: When Kids Leave You Speechless, we show how to give our children the gift of knowing how to turn boredom into industry. Yep! Boredom can lead to creativity and achievement when we respond to complaining about it in some of the following ways:

• "What are you going to do about feeling so bored?"
• "Some kids decide to go out in the yard and clean up after the dog."
• "Some kids decide to dust the furniture."
• "Some kids decide to read a book."
• "Sadly, some kids decide to go to their rooms and stay unhappy about it."
• "I love you. Good luck."

Do you want your children to grow up believing that it is somebody else's job to keep them entertained and happy? Or would you rather raise youngsters who know that the best way to feel good is to do something good?

Thanks for reading! Our goal is to help as many families as possible. If this is a benefit, forward it to a friend.

Dr. Charles Fay