Ahhhh, summer. When the nights have turned warmer, schedules have become looser, and days have been filled with water balloons, wind-blown boat-hair, and sticky fingers.
I love this time of year so much, and so do our kiddos. But, as I get older I am learning a thing or two about this time.
A part of me wants to utilize every single day with activities so that we squeeze in as much excitement and fun as we can because my goodness, summer is only three months long and that isn’t nearly long enough to do all that we want to do.
But the other part of me has smartened up and has learned to take a step back and save parts of summer for just being.
No camps. No trips. No activities.
Just, being.
I think kids these days (gosh, do I sound old) are becoming so used to constant entertainment and stimulation that when faced with a moment of stillness, or even boredom, they don’t know what to do with themselves.
I wanted our kids to be bored this summer. I wanted them to figure out how to entertain themselves without the help from me, a special activity, or an electronic.
And I have to say, while we had a couple of annoying days to start, they are getting the hang of figuring out what to do.
The initial boredom is usually followed by some sort of self-created entertainment, and sometimes it just takes a bit of wrestling it out to discover what that creative entertainment might be. And I LIKE that.
Ramps are being made for cars out of wood piles, lemonade stands are being built and used, crafts galore are being created, board games, bikes, scooters, and roller blades are all being played with. And during these times I think some of the best childhood memories are being made.
So there you have it, kiddos. I want you to be bored, and to know what that feels like. Your lives are good, but they don’t need to be THAT good.
Being bored as a kid led to some of my greatest projects! love this!
I completely agree with you. Some of our most fun days are weekends when we say, “We are doing NOTHING today.” ha!
Yes to all of this. I remember as a kid, the best times I ever had were when Mum said “outside all day – I don’t want to see you until lunch/dinner”. It’s great to be reminded.
That lemonade stand is so cute! And I think it’s fine to let kids be “bored”. It makes them use their imagination more. 🙂
-Lauren
This stand turned out so amazing. I love that they have something accomplished that they helped with!
I love how adorable this project turned out. You may sound “old”, but I sound exactly the same. I always found a way to entertain myself as a child and I pray that my daughters will do the same.
what a fun and cute idea! I wish my parents did something like this for me as a kid!
So, I don’t have kids yet – but I absolutely love this and agree 100%! I think my brother and I are so creative today because we were bored and had to figure out our own ways of entertainment as a kid! We used to build houses out of cardboard boxes, or design house layouts with chalk on the driveway, which then made me think about becoming an architect (which I didn’t haha) but that turned into graphic design and.. here we are! lol 100% yes to all of this!
This is so true, when I ask my son to get off the computer, he looks at me as he doesnt know what he would do next?
I love this perspective!
I agree! My kids usually will find something creative to do if I just let them be bored for a while.
OMG! This is the cutest little stand! I loved when my parents would create things with us when we were growing up.
Kasey Ma
thestylewright.com
Love this! Letting the kids be bored definitely sparks their imagination and creativity – exactly what they need! And that little stand is the cutest!!
-Jennifer
https://maunelegacy.com
I’ve totally agree with you, this is the coolest day that we can have on this busy world. This is such an enlightenment to everyone of us.
I think you are taking a balanced approach to mother hood. I like the idea of the self-created entertainment. I t bring out the creative side of kid, teaches them independence and beats boredom
That’s a great idea! They will learn being independent in an early age.
I feel this. Kids these days aren’t as creative as we were when we were younger! You’re doing a good thing.