I"m Bored
What is there to do?We're bored!Sound familiar?Well, in our home these are foreign words.
They are words that are not allowed to be uttered in front of an adult for fear it might come back to them in the form of some dreaded weed pulling or other house work.
Well, these were words I have heard a little too often this summer from friends who have frequented our house.
On one such occasion, one of the little treasures proceeded to tell me she NEEEDED a Nintendo DS because she gets so bored at home.
Needed? She explained that there's nothing to do at home and after all a person could only watch so much tv.
Seriously? You're 6!How is it possible that the world is so dull to you already that you need constant stimulation?How did these children become so jaded at such a young age.
When I was a kid, especially at my grandma's house, you never said you were bored or asked to watch tv.
You would wind up with a rag in one hand and Pledge in the other.
Oh and by the way, you didn't get paid for it.
Can you imagine the child abuse that went on?? How cruel and cold the world was for my generation.
As I thought about this interaction of needs and desires of 6 year olds, I was reminded of a batch e-mail that went out awhile back.
It said something to the effect of those of us in my generation, born before 1980, were some of the most creative, inventive, and adventurous people the planet has known.
Now, I realized that sounds a bit arrogant, but hear me out.
As a whole, my generation tended to take risks.
Remember sitting in the back of pick up trucks, all the way to San Francisco? That one was for my mom.
Remember no seat belts? Remember to cherry drop flips off the monkey bars over concrete?I imagine there were a few head injuries, but we weren't so fearful.
I grew up in So.
Cal, and we would spend hours at the beach.
This is were I learned to swim.
We would go and play in the water, my mom may have been in the water or not.
As I got older I am sure she hung out on the beach a little and swam a little, meaning there were times when I could go in the water by myself.
My friends and I would go in, body surf and get out only to find ourselves four or five life-guard stations away from where we started.
Can anyone relate?As I write this, I cringe to think about my little ones swimming alone at the beach.
Mostly because of all the trash and needles they may encounter.
I want them to be risk takers.
I want them to have a lust for life and all that this life has to offer.
As it is now one of my children is cautious to a fault.
Maybe he will just be a conservative little adult.
One of my other children on the other hand is a certified risk taker.
She's frightening really.
And, as always, the verdict is still out on tiny.
I realize I want my children to take risks, and to enjoy this life that God has given them.
As I pray daily for our children, one of my prayers is they would use the wisdom God has given them in order to discern whether a risk is worth it.
I sit here and try to imagine what that might be.
Sky diving? Base jumping?Leaving everything and becoming a missionary in the deepest darkest places of the world?Who knows.
I pray they would not be conformed to the patterns of the world around them, playing mind numbing games for hours, or watching mindless tv for longer than that.
Or worse yet, sitting around saying "I'm bored!"Being bored should be illegal.
I can just imagine getting a ticket for uttering those dreadful words.
Eventually, the penalty may be one couldn't buy video games, or movies, or pool toys again because they have allowed themselves to have a lack of imagination.
Yes you heard me, I believe pool toys create a lack of imagination.
I have only heard one time kids playing Marco Polo.
Maybe it's unsafe.
You know having your eyes closed and wandering around a pool.
Who knows.
In any case, the food for thought may be, are we raising namby pamby boring people who never think outside the box, therefore making this the safest yet dullest time the world has ever known?As a self proclaimed adventure girl, I shutter to think of such a tragedy!
They are words that are not allowed to be uttered in front of an adult for fear it might come back to them in the form of some dreaded weed pulling or other house work.
Well, these were words I have heard a little too often this summer from friends who have frequented our house.
On one such occasion, one of the little treasures proceeded to tell me she NEEEDED a Nintendo DS because she gets so bored at home.
Needed? She explained that there's nothing to do at home and after all a person could only watch so much tv.
Seriously? You're 6!How is it possible that the world is so dull to you already that you need constant stimulation?How did these children become so jaded at such a young age.
When I was a kid, especially at my grandma's house, you never said you were bored or asked to watch tv.
You would wind up with a rag in one hand and Pledge in the other.
Oh and by the way, you didn't get paid for it.
Can you imagine the child abuse that went on?? How cruel and cold the world was for my generation.
As I thought about this interaction of needs and desires of 6 year olds, I was reminded of a batch e-mail that went out awhile back.
It said something to the effect of those of us in my generation, born before 1980, were some of the most creative, inventive, and adventurous people the planet has known.
Now, I realized that sounds a bit arrogant, but hear me out.
As a whole, my generation tended to take risks.
Remember sitting in the back of pick up trucks, all the way to San Francisco? That one was for my mom.
Remember no seat belts? Remember to cherry drop flips off the monkey bars over concrete?I imagine there were a few head injuries, but we weren't so fearful.
I grew up in So.
Cal, and we would spend hours at the beach.
This is were I learned to swim.
We would go and play in the water, my mom may have been in the water or not.
As I got older I am sure she hung out on the beach a little and swam a little, meaning there were times when I could go in the water by myself.
My friends and I would go in, body surf and get out only to find ourselves four or five life-guard stations away from where we started.
Can anyone relate?As I write this, I cringe to think about my little ones swimming alone at the beach.
Mostly because of all the trash and needles they may encounter.
I want them to be risk takers.
I want them to have a lust for life and all that this life has to offer.
As it is now one of my children is cautious to a fault.
Maybe he will just be a conservative little adult.
One of my other children on the other hand is a certified risk taker.
She's frightening really.
And, as always, the verdict is still out on tiny.
I realize I want my children to take risks, and to enjoy this life that God has given them.
As I pray daily for our children, one of my prayers is they would use the wisdom God has given them in order to discern whether a risk is worth it.
I sit here and try to imagine what that might be.
Sky diving? Base jumping?Leaving everything and becoming a missionary in the deepest darkest places of the world?Who knows.
I pray they would not be conformed to the patterns of the world around them, playing mind numbing games for hours, or watching mindless tv for longer than that.
Or worse yet, sitting around saying "I'm bored!"Being bored should be illegal.
I can just imagine getting a ticket for uttering those dreadful words.
Eventually, the penalty may be one couldn't buy video games, or movies, or pool toys again because they have allowed themselves to have a lack of imagination.
Yes you heard me, I believe pool toys create a lack of imagination.
I have only heard one time kids playing Marco Polo.
Maybe it's unsafe.
You know having your eyes closed and wandering around a pool.
Who knows.
In any case, the food for thought may be, are we raising namby pamby boring people who never think outside the box, therefore making this the safest yet dullest time the world has ever known?As a self proclaimed adventure girl, I shutter to think of such a tragedy!
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