A midsummer’s day and Mom is tired. The kids have tons of energy and want something to do, something they haven’t done before.
The only vacation scheduled for this season is still weeks away. If Mom doesn’t come up with something exciting soon, boredom will set in.
We all know what happens when kids have nothing to do. They annoy each other. Or worse yet, one may settle for simply annoying YOU!
I managed to eliminate the problem of boredom years ago with little effort on my part. The children became well aware of the consequences of a comment such as “Mommy, I’m bored!” I still laugh about it now. Thankfully, so do they!
My to-do list as a homeschooling mother of four was endless nearly every day. I embraced exhaustion as an uninvited friend.
But nothing perked me up more than when one of my kiddos would approach with that lifeless expression, the one which accompanies a complaint of boredom.
All that beautiful energy was looking for a place to happen. Nothing made me happier.
I would smile from ear to ear and escort my new best friend to a pile of clean laundry waiting to be folded, or direct a little one to the closet to grab a broom. I’d be laughing the whole time. My sense of humor is wicked; I confess!
I can’t say any one of the kids celebrated my solution to the problem of boredom, but it was such a win. The household chores got done. I got some much-needed help I hadn’t expected to get that day. And being bored didn’t have a grand payoff, so it wasn’t a widespread complaint.
My kids are older now. They help around the house without being prompted. I don’t have to ask for help, and they don’t complain about being bored.
Ironically, the tables have turned. Nowadays, I have tons of energy. And when I’m tempted to complain about being bored, I ask my kids if they need any help. It’s a beautiful twist of fate.
My overwhelmed son working part time and trudging his way through college will happily tell me what I can do to help him, and I’m happy to do it.
The kids appreciate what they’ve learned about the purpose of boredom. It’s a prompt to help someone you love. I am still reaping the benefits of this strategy today. Who knew that boredom could have such a happy ending!
