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BAN THE "B" WORD — "BOREDOM"

By the first week of summer, most parents are already sick of the "B" word: "Boredom." By mid-summer, children young and old are wandering around the house chanting, "I’m bored!"

Some parents accept full responsibility for entertaining their children — which prevents children from learning to prevent and solve this problem independently. Worse, children choose electronic entertainment as their only solution.

Electronic entertainment overkill is evident all around us. Those of us who enjoy having conversations with other humans are being increasingly invaded with other people’s electronic entertainment everywhere we go!

Then we wonder why children have sex or kill "for fun," because they were "bored." What were they doing all those hundreds of hours they were playing video games and watching movies and TV? Probably watching gratuitous sex and violence or keeping score of how many "bad guys" they could blow away.

People certainly have a right to use electronic devices in public, as long as they don’t endanger children or violate other people’s rights.

When children overdose on electronic entertainment, they expect the world to entertain them constantly — but real life can be entertaining without electronics. When children "veg-out" too much and too long, they don’t learn how to think for themselves and use their creativity and imagination to do productive entertaining activities. Bodies and brains need exercise. Staring at screens and sitting like bumps on logs provide neither.

It is a parent’s job to teach children how to entertain themselves. After that, it is up to children to keep themselves busy. How can parents do this?

• Limit the amount of time children use electronic entertainment. Parents can allow reasonable extensions if an activity is educational, like a learning game.
• At the beginning of summer or before a car trip, do some brainstorming. List all the activities the child can do independently. If you need to get supplies, like arts and crafts, do so. Post the list on the fridge. Whenever you hear the "B" word, refer them to their list.
• On long car trips, have word games or thinking games available. Here are some ideas:
• Games to get: Mind Trap, Password, BrainQuest, travel versions of board games.
• Books to get: riddles, jokes, educational activities, puzzles.
• Free activities and car games: counting license plates, 20 Questions and "I Spy."

Parents and children need to get with the program and get connected to Life. No one will find the true meaning of Joy or Life in an electronic box. It’s inside our heads (imagination, creativity, thinking) and out "there" in the world (involvement with people and causes).

If parents follow these suggestions and their child still uses the "B" word, they can say, "It’s up to you to keep yourself busy and productive. What are your options?"

Jody Johnston Pawel is a Licensed Social Worker, Certified Family Life Educator, second-generation parent educator, founder of The Family Network, and President of Parents Toolshop Consulting. She is the author of 100+ parent education resources, including her award-winning book, The Parent's Toolshop. For 25+ years, Jody has trained parents and family professionals through her dynamic workshops and interviews with the media worldwide, including Parents and Working Mother magazines, and the Ident-a-Kid television series. Jody currently serves as the online parenting expert for Cox Ohio Publishing’s mom-to-mom websites and also serves on the Advisory Board of the National Effective Parenting Initiative.

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