“I find myself worrying that when we hand our children phones, we steal their boredom from them. As a result, we are raising a generation of writers who will never start writing, artists who will never start doodling, chefs who will never make a mess of the kitchen, athletes who will never kick a ball against the wall, musicians who will never pick up their aunt’s guitar and start strumming.” ~ Glennon Doyle
I am quoting Glennon Doyle because she echoes the same thoughts I’ve been having ever since the first time I saw a one-year-old in a stroller having a phone tossed into her lap at the grocery store.
Boredom is a gift to the imagination; it is a room where creativity happens; what we do when we are bored may predict the career that drives our passions.
I would love to build an hour of boredom into every NeuroDevelopmental Movement program.
I write this for the parents who would put their children into therapy all day, getting them up before their body wants to rise for early AM speech therapy, rushing them after school to P.T., spending 4 hours after school in ABA, and trying to fit in the most important work for the brain itself, NeuroDevelopmental Movement.
Please find ways to bring boredom into your child’s day. They will want their addiction, a screen, and might even fight you about it, but their increasing comfort with boredom will serve their future.