8 minute Read
By Bethany Rees

Well it’s summertime and you know what that means if you have children. You are well on your way to living full time in a chicken coop where you will be pecked a thousand times with requests for entertainment as the little chicks proclaim the statement of the summer, “I’m bored.”  

Actually that analogy of the chicken coop and being pecked a thousand times only applies to those that either don’t allow their children to be on or heavily restrict time on electronic devices.

And the feeling of boredom almost never exists for adults anymore either. 

The reality is that over the last 15 years the cry of boredom has been greatly silenced. Why? Because adults and children alike have access to constant entertainment from a device in their pocket or in multiple rooms of the house.

On the other side of the handheld screen or gaming device is a whole world that is hacking our brain stems to keep them dripping with dopamine so we become addicted to the device, app, game, etc. (FYI: You wise adults are not escaping this brain stem hack! How many times do you pick up and scroll through your phone?)

But don't take my word for it. There are plenty of articles, research papers, and documentaries being produced that explain how technology is hacking your brain to keep you addicted. 

Click here to see 81 satirical yet truth telling illustrations about technology use. WARNING: Some images may be graphic. 

Side note: Here are some great documentaries to watch and a book to read about the effects of technology on our brains (specifically our children's brains). 

• The Social Dilemma (on Netflix)
• Childhood 2.0 - Social Media Dangers Documentary (on YouTube)
• Screenagers (find/host a screening)
• For the Sake of Our Youth (book by Tessa Stuckey)

Since the dawn of time parents and children alike have had to tackle the feeling of boredom. And Lord, imagine what boredom felt like while living in an agrarian (farming) society before electricity was in the home. Everyone was B-O-R-E-D all the time. 

But there are a great many things that come from the time and space of being bored!

What we learn out of boredom: 

• Imagination
• Creativity
• Executive Function

First and foremost, there is the development of imagination. Which leads to the development of creativity. Which by the way leads to the development of executive function in the brain as a person tries to organize all of those creative thoughts. All of this happens when adults and kids experience boredom. 

Case and point:

Imagine a group of kids that are so bored they decide to meet up to play. 

After they gripe and complain about being bored, they start to use their imagination to think up a creative game to play. 

However, since all kids want to win the game, there must be rules present to allow for an ultimate victor. The creation of these rules is what begins to flex the brain muscle of executive functioning. 

Another easy example of creative play is that of one child in his bedroom who builds the elaborate bed sheet fort, complete with a lava moat, and an evil dragon parent sent to destroy it (imagination and creativity). Therefore the brave knight must come with a strategy to defeat the evil dragon (executive function). 

Adults that go to the bathroom or have to sit in a doctor's office without their phone actually have a moment of boredom. And in those precious few minutes of boredom your mind starts to wander in all directions. It spits, spats, and sputters as it tries to recall how to be bored and to think of imaginary and creative things to pontificate as it once did in your youth. As an adult who has a "big and fully developed brain" you don't stay long in this creative land...you move straight to executive function of how to organize all of those thoughts...and out pops the solutions to your problems and your busy to do list. 

UNFORTUNATELY though, society is quickly losing the art of imagination, creativity, and executive function all because we are losing the opportunity to be bored. 

Instead of the group of friends meeting up out of boredom or the one child building a fort out of boredom, this is the usual scenario that plays out: 

CHILD EXAMPLE:

The child wakes up, eats breakfast, and jumps on her electronics. The parents enjoy the peace that comes from having an engaged but silent child so they can get their work done without interruptions. 

Before long, the day is gone and the child has spent 8 hours being brain hacked by technology. Her brain is so overloaded with dopamine that when you tell her to get off the device she lashes out with the visceral response that a crack addict would have if you tried to take their drug away. 

Yikes! Like the drug addict, the technology addicted child will have major reactions as she detoxes from all the dopamine hits the technology had been giving her. 

ADULT EXAMPLE:

The adult wakes up and looks at his phone: email, calendar, social media. Drinks coffee and scrolls. Then realizes he spent more time scrolling than he thought and rushes around to get ready for work.

At work, he tries to actually get work done, but he didn't realize how many times he picks up, opens, touches, and scrolls through his phone.

Then after a stressful day of not being able to get all his work done he comes home and just wants to "veg out" by numbing himself via...you guessed it...scrolling through his phone. He has no idea the amount of time he wasted in his day getting all those hits of dopamine by looking at the distractions on his phone. And since he's the adult, no one ever tells him to get off it...he can have as much dopamine as he wants. 

Parents,

As you look at your summer days with your kids, think through how much time you allow them to spend on electronic devices, and remember that by allowing them to be bored you are actually providing them with amazing opportunities to grow their imagination, creativity, and executive function. 

Since boredom and creative play is becoming a lost art, you may need to help your children know how to get started. Think about creating a summer schedule with expectations and an activity choice board for your kids. 

The choice board is a launching pad to help them learn how to creatively solve their boredom. Just google something like “summer activity choice boards for kids” and you’ll find a million ideas. 

Side Note: Every summer through elementary I had a poster board hanging on my pantry door with options of how they could spend their free time without electronics. Our kids are now in junior high and high school and at this point in their life, they have become quite good at filling in their own time without complaining that they are bored. Our daughter (junior high) has turned into quite the artist, craft person, and interior decorator. Our son (a senior) has a job and hangs out with friends a lot more. But his “bored” time at home is spent working out and cooking a lot. He is one buff chef. 

The summer schedule lets them know what your expectations are. And your behavior/work expectations for your kids shouldn’t die off during the summer. 

Side Note:  We are minimalists so my board is a super simple dry erase board that hangs on my pantry door that has our calendar dates/activities and our summer expectations that include: Weekday bed time (10:30 - daughter /12:00 - son), weekday wake up time  by 10:00 am, no electronics before 3:00 pm, all chores done before 3:00 pm.  I also make them a To Do List every morning with expectations for the day “chore wise.” 

If your kiddos are already addicted to technology just know that they do have to detox, and their reactions to their new found restrictions will be big. But once they detox they will be sweet again…but…they will also continue to peck you to death to get back on the electronics. 

So be encouraged! When they complain and peck you to death about being bored, tell yourself this:

“By letting them be bored, I am growing their imagination, creativity, and executive function. I am just a good parent.” 

But what you actually tell them is this:

“Come up with your own NON-ELECTRONIC activity or use the choice board to solve your boredom problem. If you tell me again that you are bored, you will be given another chore to do…and my toilets really need cleaning.”

 It’s the beginning of summer so be sure to start off strong and stay consistent in your expectations. You got this!

Adults,

No one can tell you what to do so you must regulate yourself. 

Put your own technology in time out. Charge it in a room you rarely go to. Get it out of sight and out of mind. 

Then do something else. If you struggle with finding something else to do...make your own choice board. LOL! 

Go outside. Look up at the sky, the trees, the stars. Go for a walk. Exercise. Play a game with your kiddos. 

And here's a bonus reason why you need to be bored: 

Are you tired of waking up at night with "all the things" swimming around in your head?

Try taking a time out during the day with no phone as a stimulus, but just a notepad and pencil. All of those swirly thoughts will be released. As you write them down, your thoughts will turn into ideas, and your ideas will turn into creative solutions that are then refined through your executive function.

And guess what? You'll sleep better at night. Win-Win!

Know Better. Do Better. Live Better. Be Bored Once In A While.

Rocks before Sand!

Scripture: 

“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth!”

~Psalm 46:10

Theme Songs: 

References Used:

• The Social Dilemma (on Netflix)
• Childhood 2.0 - Social Media Dangers Documentary (on YouTube)
• Screenagers (find/host a screening)
• For the Sake of Our Youth (book by Tessa Stuckey)
• BoredPanda.com article on 81 Satirical Illustrations Show Our Addiction to Technology https://www.boredpanda.com/satirical-illustrations-addiction-technology/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic 
• The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.