Boredom

My mom and I were once discussing *light* topics such as climate change and the future of our planet. My wise mother commented that the tool our children will need to make this planet a better place is their creativity. The future of this world will depend on our children finding new and inventive ways to solve the problems we have failed to fix. In light of this, and also because of how I was raised, encouraging creativity and independent thinking in my children is one of my top priorities and challenges as a parent.

Creative play is something I fiercely protect. I often feel tempted to provide my kids opportunities for dance classes, piano lessons, and team sports. I want them to experience as much as I can afford to offer. It's hard to quiet the competitive mom voice in my head that tells me they need to start those things NOW! However, for our family, at this time, I've found that we are at our best when we have a minimally scheduled day. Truly, I feel such a sense of peace and gratitude when I've been able to provide a day for my kids that allows them to play hard. The thought of them being in school all day with only a few hours between coming home and bed time makes me anxious.

*I should add, that I have many friends and people I respect whose lives are vastly different from ours. I'm certainly not advocating that our way is the best, it's just best for us at this point.*

I heard a story on NPR the other day in which Manoush Zomorodi is encouraging listeners to unplug from their phones and allow themselves to become bored. In the piece it is mentioned that "studies suggest we get our most original ideas when we stop the constant stimulation and let ourselves get bored."

My kids have unequivocally proved this to be true. After we have allowed the kids some screen time, either on the iPad or TV, they will often come out of that experience grumpy (Ruby), aimless, and argumentative. I'm usually trying to get ready for work at this point and have zero patience for the whining and bickering between the two. However, if I can grit my teeth and wait it out, within 5 minutes they are usually immersed in creative play.

Some of their recently popular games include "Friend" and "Dear". Both games involve role play, sometimes both girls are multiple characters, and from what I can tell, there is a lot of moving toys from one room to the other. Yesterday while they were playing "Friend" they got backpacks and babies and suitcases and went on the airplane (two dining room chairs) to visit grandma and nana. While on the plane there was a lengthy discussion about who was going to ride in which car when they landed and if they would ride together.

Just today I was invited to play "Friend" with Ruby as we were waiting for Maia to come home from school. I was Elizabeth and Ruby was Sparkles. The game consisted of a conversation about real life things (like Ruby going to Cottonwood as a kindergartener), but as Elizabeth and Sparkles.

"Dear" involves "dear" (a kid) and "mom." There is a lot of "dear, we need to get our babies" and "dear, let's get ready for bed." At first this game confused me because there are a lot of "mom"s involved, but they aren't directed at me. I now know that when they say "mom" they're playing and if they're talking to me, I'm "mommy."

They transition so seamlessly between characters and real life and play, it's staggering.

I wonder how long this intense play will last. I hope they never lose their freedom and imagination. I'm sure it will manifest itself in different ways as they grow older. I think for myself, somewhere among the responsibilities and chores and career, time spent for dreaming and thinking and play has been lost. So I'm going to take a cue from Ms. Zomorodi and the way I parent my children. I'd like carve out and allot some time for boredom, which will hopefully enrich and inspire my writing and sense of play on stage.