Hello!

If you're a mom like me, you've probably heard a million variations on the parenting advice: "let them be bored!" I see this sentiment all the time as a reaction to today's over scheduled, high-pressure environment where parents feel they need to fill every bit of their children's lives with sports, social activities, clubs, family obligations, seasonal traditions, etc. It seems especially relevant during summer breaks in the United States, at least, where some feel guilty if they don't plan every minute of every day with (screen-free, primarily outdoor) fun and memories (running themselves ragged doing so).

So, the advice goes, we need to let our kids be bored. It's when they are bored that their creative energy peaks. Suddenly, when they're not being told exactly what to do, they draw amazing characters and scenes from their imaginations. They build pillow forts or find new ways to tumble on the bed or couch. They come up with their own games to play outside and inside. We see a burst of creative energy that could never be achieved with rigid, dictated rules. They see the same items in new ways, like the adorable caterpillar pictured above made of recycled materials my son and I assembled together recently. (As an aside, for practical advice on doing this effectively, including if neurodivergence is a factor in the boredom, I love @thegamereducator's tips as a resource.)

At the same time, I've found as a creative person that boredom is just as important for me! Too often, I find myself making sure to put on a podcast during every house chore, study flashcards or respond to emails on my phone when going for a walk, and filling every silence with noise. But I get some of my best new story ideas, solutions to writer's block, and other creative breakthroughs when I give my mind the space and quiet to think.

I know it's incredibly hard to make time to be bored, which can seem like such a privilege for people who are exhausted just from the obligations of daily life. But in my experience, it can be as simple as turning off your music and your show and your podcast and letting your mind wander while you drive or cook or fold laundry or wash dishes or brush your teeth or shower or whatever it is that you already need to do. Or taking a few minutes when you wake up or go to sleep just to think about whatever your work in progress is or what you'd like the next one to be. If it's been a long time since you've tried that, I highly recommend it! Creativity is our birthright as humans, and we have a right to claim it.

Happy boredom-hunting!

Nicole

Disclaimer: The views expressed in my newsletter or on my website are my own and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Department of State or the United States.