TIPS For Families

You=re Responsible For Your Own Boredom

Written by:  Myrna DuBois, Extension Educator
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension
Building Strong Families

AI=m bored.@  Spend some time around kids and eventually you=ll hear this phrase.  Boredom is a phrase they have heard that usually really means AI need something to do.@  When you hear the AI=m bored@ phrase, ask them to say AI need something to do,@ instead. 

Some children believe that boredom indicates that they are intelligent or that they are not being properly entertained by what is around them.  Encourage them to understand that a truly intelligent person is rarely bored as they are able to keep themselves engaged in activities or ideas. 

A phrase an adult can use to help children understand their own role in their boredom is to say AYou=re responsible for your own boredom.@  This means that it is their responsibility to entertain themselves, find something to do, or be creative in making use of their time.

Of course, adults can provide a great deal to help a child have things to do.  This is important.  They do need some guidance.  But it is the child=s responsibility to choose their own activity and become involved in it.  Some children may say they are bored at school. A child may not like a particular subject matter, but help them understand that is not the same as being bored. Many, if not most, classrooms now have supplemental or enrichment materials that children can make use of to fill their time and learn more. 

Unfortunately, sometimes the more opportunities a person has, the more confused they become about what to do, and the more likely they are to sit and complain they are bored.  Today=s children, surrounded by video games, computers, television, electronic games, and a room full of fine toys, are much more likely to experience Aboredom@ than children of fifty years ago who had none of those things.   Make sure the child understands that it is not up to anyone to set things in front of them to do, but up to themselves to locate supplies and do things themselves. 

If you wish to leave feedback about this TIPS for Families, click on the TIPS Feedback Form link below.  For more information on parenting go to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln publication website at www.ianrpub.unl.edu and click on Families.