Posted by peskypippi | Posted in Children, Friends, Fun, Kids, Summer | Posted on 10-08-2012
Tags: activities, bored, boredom, children, fun, kids, summer
“I’m bored.”
You’re WHAT??!!
I can’t accept boredom from children. My children or anyone’s children. At my house. In the middle of summer.
- There are crafts. Bendaroos. Play-doh. Modeling clay. Water paint. Acrylics. Markers. Stickers. Stamps. Hole punchers.
- There’s a puppy. He loves to play. And cuddle. And wrestle. And fetch.
- There’s Xbox 360 and Kinect. Party games, sports games, Lego games, shooter games, dance games.
- There are board games. Would You Rather? Sorry. Monopoly. Trouble. Operation. Bird Bingo. And about 20 others.
- There are outside toys. Bikes. Scooters. Pogo Stick. Roller skates. Full-size basketball hoop. Chalk. Giant bubbles. Frisbees.
- There’s an outside swimming pool, sandbox, swingset. Or I’d be happy to set up the sprinkler.
- Nerf guns. AirSoft guns if you’re over 13.
- Oh yeah and what about tag. Kick ball. Hide-and-go-seek.
- Snacks. Pizza. Juice. Ice cream sandwiches. Watermelon cut in wedges.
- There are Legos. Zoobles. Littlest Pet Shop. Star Wars figures. Ponies. Barbies. And, oh, about 58 stuffed animals.
- Movies. Take your pick.
Do kids really need prompting these days? Do they need an activity list of things to choose from?
Yikes.
When I was a kid and was told, “Go and play.” I did. And I didn’t ask what to play.
I chased after the ice cream truck on my bike. My sister and I played Frogger on Atari. I read everything by Judy Blume. I showed my friend how Barbie and Ken could make babies. I sketched. I played kickball and Nerf football with the neighbor kids in the street. I caught frogs and lightning bugs at my Dad’s. I did rubber stamps and stickers. I sprawled on my friend’s pink carpet while listening to the Grease soundtrack. I crank-called strangers. I practiced kissing in the mirror. I tried out cookie recipes. I wrote in my diary. I bought Fun Dip and Jolly Rancher Sticks at 7-11. I stared at the clouds. I watched The Brady Bunch and The Beverly Hillbillies. I made those goofy nylon potholders with my goofy potholder loom.
And if I said “I’m bored,” I would be given chores, which quickly shut me up.
So, if you’re a kid at my house and I hear “I’m bored,” I just may hand you a shovel. And you can pick up dog poop. #choices
What are some of the things YOU did as a kid?
