Who's Bored?
So, here we are...the second day of summer break and he's bored already. *sigh*
I remember when there were 7 kids at home during summer break. It was utter chaos. I prayed that they would get invited to a friends' house to spend the night...or a week.
But now that Caleb is the only child left at home, he gets bored. And lonely. And I feel sorry for him and agree to let his buddy practically move in for the summer, just to keep him entertained. The problem is that they don't entertain each other. They sit for hours, side-by-side, staring at 64" of LED screen hanging on the wall in front of them, controller in hand, living out a fantasy world of some sort.
Well, Momma's instituting a new rule today. NO TECH TUESDAY (for anyone under the age of 21.) Seriously! What do kids really stand to learn from these brain-draining games? Hand/eye coordination? Check. Got it. Done. Moving on. If I had my way, the Xbox would mysteriously break and never be replaced. At least for the next 3 months.
There's so much to do around here. I would have given my left arm for a place like this when I was a kid. There's a pond to fish in, a pool to swim in, bikes, dirt bikes, basketball, football...and if that's not enough, there is grass that needs cut, three smelly dogs that need bathed, and several cars that could use a good washing. I just don't understand kids these days. (Not sure I'll ever understand teenaged boys.)
When all the kids were younger and still living at home, (seems like yesterday) I had a brilliant idea (must've come from God...ideas that good couldn't have come from my own brain.) I created a list of chores. Not the everyday chores like feed the dog, clean the litter box, load or unload dishes...but the kind of chores that need to be done but never seem to make it high enough on the list to warrant spending the time to do them...like wiping off baseboards, dusting ceiling fans, matching wayward Tupperware containers to their lids... those kinds of things.
This list, appropriately titled the "Mom, I'm Bored" list, went into my binder. (My binder was my saving grace for many years!) If I ever heard one of the kids say those three ridiculous words..."Mom...I'm bored!" I would grab the binder and open it up to THE LIST. And ta-da! They were no longer bored! It was perfect. And suddenly, I was hearing those three whining words less and less.
Now that Caleb is older, we are working together on a summer calendar and planning some fun things to do. I'm afraid that this will be my last summer to enjoy him, since by next year he will be a licensed driver (who will need a job to pay for gas and insurance.) Some events I will let him include a friend, while others will be just him and me (and Randy, when he's able to join us.) He's already got Holiday World, a visit to my dad's house, several MWXC races and a day in Chicago on his list.
Looking back over the past 10 years, I can't believe how fast they went. I wish I would have had the wisdom, creativity (Pinterest) and resources (money) to do more things with all of the kids when they still wanted to hang around us. So, I'm offering this to all you young mothers...don't miss the opportunity to spend some quality time with the little people in your life. Here's a list of 101 things to do with your kids.
To the mothers who have survived and can look back, share what you learned with us. What did you do right? What wisdom can you offer?
What good is a great idea if you keep it to yourself?
Be blessed!
I remember when there were 7 kids at home during summer break. It was utter chaos. I prayed that they would get invited to a friends' house to spend the night...or a week.
But now that Caleb is the only child left at home, he gets bored. And lonely. And I feel sorry for him and agree to let his buddy practically move in for the summer, just to keep him entertained. The problem is that they don't entertain each other. They sit for hours, side-by-side, staring at 64" of LED screen hanging on the wall in front of them, controller in hand, living out a fantasy world of some sort.
Well, Momma's instituting a new rule today. NO TECH TUESDAY (for anyone under the age of 21.) Seriously! What do kids really stand to learn from these brain-draining games? Hand/eye coordination? Check. Got it. Done. Moving on. If I had my way, the Xbox would mysteriously break and never be replaced. At least for the next 3 months.
There's so much to do around here. I would have given my left arm for a place like this when I was a kid. There's a pond to fish in, a pool to swim in, bikes, dirt bikes, basketball, football...and if that's not enough, there is grass that needs cut, three smelly dogs that need bathed, and several cars that could use a good washing. I just don't understand kids these days. (Not sure I'll ever understand teenaged boys.)
When all the kids were younger and still living at home, (seems like yesterday) I had a brilliant idea (must've come from God...ideas that good couldn't have come from my own brain.) I created a list of chores. Not the everyday chores like feed the dog, clean the litter box, load or unload dishes...but the kind of chores that need to be done but never seem to make it high enough on the list to warrant spending the time to do them...like wiping off baseboards, dusting ceiling fans, matching wayward Tupperware containers to their lids... those kinds of things.
This list, appropriately titled the "Mom, I'm Bored" list, went into my binder. (My binder was my saving grace for many years!) If I ever heard one of the kids say those three ridiculous words..."Mom...I'm bored!" I would grab the binder and open it up to THE LIST. And ta-da! They were no longer bored! It was perfect. And suddenly, I was hearing those three whining words less and less.
Now that Caleb is older, we are working together on a summer calendar and planning some fun things to do. I'm afraid that this will be my last summer to enjoy him, since by next year he will be a licensed driver (who will need a job to pay for gas and insurance.) Some events I will let him include a friend, while others will be just him and me (and Randy, when he's able to join us.) He's already got Holiday World, a visit to my dad's house, several MWXC races and a day in Chicago on his list.
Looking back over the past 10 years, I can't believe how fast they went. I wish I would have had the wisdom, creativity (Pinterest) and resources (money) to do more things with all of the kids when they still wanted to hang around us. So, I'm offering this to all you young mothers...don't miss the opportunity to spend some quality time with the little people in your life. Here's a list of 101 things to do with your kids.
To the mothers who have survived and can look back, share what you learned with us. What did you do right? What wisdom can you offer?
What good is a great idea if you keep it to yourself?
Be blessed!
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