Daddy, I’m Bored!!

Is your child feeling bored? Not to worry. The Internet has plenty of ideas that your child can engage in when they feel bored. One website I found has 31 ideas and another has 51. But all of them, apparently, are missing the point. 

What fathers must understand is the true cause of boredom. It is not a lack of stimulation or social activity that causes boredom. The void can be covered up temporarily by television, electronic games, or external stimulation. It is only a matter of time before boredom returns when the distracting activity ceases.

The word boredom comes from the word ‘to bore,’ indicating an internal void where energy should be coming from. What makes a child bored is a lack of connection. 

When a child is bored, it will be their relationship with caring adults that will nourish them back to life. Sit with your child and encourage her to find and share her emotions with you. When you provide her with your loving attention, rather than just providing her with sources of stimulation, you will start to see her vitality and enthusiasm return. 

Furthermore, when children get the nourishment they need most—a strong relationship with the adults in their lives—they are less receptive to peer pressure and more able to resist unhealthy temptations. 

Now you know what is the right thing to do when your child is bored. Remember that you can always reach out to me if you need more help on this.

By Parcsen Loke, Family Life Coach, Centre for Fathering. 

Food for Thought: What is your most natural response when your child tells you that his or she is bored?

Source: Gordon Neufeld, 2013, Level I Intensive: Making Sense of Kids. Neufeld Institute, Vancouver, BC, neufeldinstitute.org.