VJ’s Weekly Challenge: “I’m bored!”

blogging, challenge, prompt, , 35 Comments

“The kids are driving me nuts!” my youngest daughter tells me just as the province is going into lockdown again, school back to online learning.

“What’s the problem?”

“They’re bored. No friends, no school, and we’re limited in what we can do. They are always looking to us to entertain them, and we both work full-time. It’s impossible.”

I cringe. I hated it when my kids would whine: “I’m bored!”

“Why is it your responsibility?” I ask. “When you guys were little, I’d just threaten you with cleaning your room and you’d find something to do.”

What I’m thinking is that kids should learn to deal with their own boredom, but it’s not my place. It’s frustrating being stuck at a distance and not being able to help out. I think about breaking protocols, but it’s too risky. The new variants of the virus are spreading rapidly and hitting a younger demographic.

I remember when my kids were young. I hated being that mother that nagged, but getting them to do chores or help around the house was almost impossible. So, one day, at my wit’s end, I created a housework board game. They had to roll the dice to see which chores to do, and I threw in fun squares, such as “pick the music”, or “take a snack break”. My kids have never forgotten it.

“Time to get creative,” I tell my husband.

It’s taken two days, and one late night, but I think I’ve got the solution. I call it the Bored Board Game. I’ve ordered special paper to print it on, and should be able to make delivery some time this week.

***

How are you dealing with boredom in your corner of the world? This week I have a special request. Describe the phenomena, or offer a solution, but please don’t use the word. We will all know what you mean.

To participate, create a post and link back here, or drop a comment below. Look forward to your responses.

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Permission to write, paint, and imagine are the gifts I gave myself when chronic illness hit - a fair exchange: being for doing. Relevance is an attitude. Humour essential.

35 thoughts on “VJ’s Weekly Challenge: “I’m bored!””

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  11. We never knew the word ‘ bored’ in childhood, though no tv, no radio, life was fun. There always was so much to read, learn, sew, paint and games with theneighbourhood children. We were dragged to bed.

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  12. I struggle with this too. People my generation and older are constantly saying telling them go outside, let them build something, let them plant something, let them explore something… But things have changed so much. And the last year has taught them that the struggle to get them unplugged up until before covid really meant nothing. It’s a slippery slope… We want them to unplug and go out and do something, but they want to do it with their friends. How do they do that in lockdown? By plugging in. It’s so maddening. Once they’re texting someone they inevitably go scrolling the internet and next thing you know hours have passed…

    At least one of my kids is perfectly happy to go for bike rides or to go out into the park and do some crafting or exploring… But if they mingle with someone outside of their household they risk getting approached by a cop. Don’t think it’s not happening, my postal code is considered high risk or hot zone and there are police officers patrolling the parks where people go with their families and dogs.

    I’m bored too even though I find plenty of things to do to keep myself busy. But it’s just getting old this same old same old. And it’s heartbreaking to watch the teenagers be confined to the degree they have been. Thinks better change soon before the mental Health crisis will have a serious toll and cause irreparable damage.

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  16. I love your idea of a Bored Board game! When I was growing up, my mother’s response to the “I’m bored” lament was, “You must learn to entertain yourself. When you’re a grown-up, you can’t expect other people to entertain you.”

    Liked by 4 people

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