Aspire Magazine: Inspiration for a Woman's Soul.(TM) June/July 2020 Aspire Magazine FULL Issue | Page 66

to just allow ourselves to be. To contemplate
life rather than rush through it or check off
boxes. To be present and connect with
others without having to ‘do’ anything.
For kids, boredom leads to creativity and
kids who play alone learn how to solve
problems, invent ideas, and strengthen their
imaginations. Genuine interests and abilities
need time to form and those that are not
pushed or hurried are more likely to become
life-long hobbies. These benefits are all
ingredients for the success and happiness
we want for our kids.
What Your Role Is
Your role is to guide them to figure out what
they like to do, how they like to use their
time, and make it okay to just do nothing.
YOU don’t have to keep them busy!!
Be proactive and help them come up with
a list of simple things they can do by
themselves. The key is to get your
kids input about what they might
enjoy and what their interests
are. This isn’t meant to be a bucket list but
small things that kids can do and that don’t
involve anybody else. So maybe it’s playing
with dolls, drawing with chalk on the patio, or
watching clouds.
Narrow the list to include 3-5 things otherwise
it can be overwhelming and tough to make
a choice. The idea is to have a quick visual
that can jog their memory and spark their
interest. Whether it’s written or includes
pictures, it’s good to put somewhere they
can refer back to it.
How to Respond
In-The-Moment
Plan to be more boring than boredom.
It may take 15-25 minutes before their
creativity comes out. If you always
think of something great when
they’re bored, of course they’ll
keep coming to you!
Get curious. Help them
explore what they’re thinking
and feeling with responses
like, “What are you going
to do about that?” or “Oh, I
see, tell me more.”
Normalize their
experience. Let them
know you get bored
sometimes too. It doesn’t
have to be a problem
that needs to be fixed or
avoided.
Guide them to look at
their list. This makes
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www.AspireMAG.net | June / July 2020