You Are Not Your Children’s Entertainment
I love spending time with my kids and doing things together. At the same time, I am a firm believer in letting them be bored so they can figure out how to entertain themselves.
Throughout COVID, I kept seeing posts on social media about how ready parents were for their kids to go back to school. Parents were tired of entertaining their kids.
I get it. It’s hard to not feel the pull to entertain them when you hear “I’m bored” all day long. But as the parent, you get to be the boss and empower them to figure out what they can do.
After all, so many of us have jobs—either working from home or commuting in. We don’t have time to make sure our kids are busy because we’re so busy ourselves. And kids who can entertain themselves grow into more independent adults.
I like to remind my kids that the work I do is what funds our travel each year. If I can’t work, I’m not making the money we need to take the trips we all love. Maybe your job funds something else in your household. Try telling your kids, “I need to concentrate on work right now so I can buy those basketball shoes you want.” Let them know that there’s a purpose behind them letting you work so they’re more invested in it.
Teaching the skill of entertaining themselves is more than just giving them a list of things they can do. It requires some up-front work (and possibly money) on your part to help them discover their passions and interests. Once they get started, they’ll likely feel the pull to find more.
Here’s a list of some of the things my kids have done over the years to keep themselves busy over the summer. Which of these resonates with your kids?
- Start a babysitting service
- Start a dog-walking service
- Take sports lessons (choose your sport!)
- Go to the community pool
- Ride your bike
- Read a book
- FaceTime with friends
- Bake cookies
- Sell the cookies you baked
- Design a family menu for next week
- Go to summer camp
- Create a painting
- Make your own lipstick/perfume/blush
- Pitch a tent inside and camp
- Set up a lemonade stand
- Make and sell jewelry
Some of these activities are quick and may last less than an hour; others will take longer. The point is that there are choices available.
The more you set the expectation that your kids need to entertain themselves and let you work (or even relax!), the easier it will get. Like anything, it takes time and patience from both of you for this new habit to form.
