Childhood boredom may not necessarily be a bad thing

When my child was young, I don’t know why I strongly believed in the idea of ‘letting children see more of the world’.

At the age of three, I took my child to Sanya, Hong Kong Disneyland, Japan, and California Highway 1 for self driving.

There are many setbacks during the journey, and we find the exciting Highway 1 with children sleeping in the back seat.

The imagined San Francisco Museum is actually boring for children to play with. However, they enjoy such simple things as taking a car model contest at home, playing play badminton with me, and going to the park for a picnic.

When I read Russell’s’ The Road to Happiness’, I realized where the problem lies: children don’t need so much excitement when they are young, their childhood only needs simple things.

A life full of excitement is one that leads to excessive consumption. It requires constant use of strong stimuli to excite people, making them think that this excitement is indispensable for happiness.

Russell said that too much travel and too many complex impressions are not suitable for young people.

For children, rolling on the grass or smelling the soil and grass is a great activity. I grew up in the countryside as a child, without the Internet, TV, smartphones and short videos, but I didn’t feel that I lacked anything.

On the contrary, I can recall many childhood feelings: the sunset behind the mountains, large white clouds, warm spring winds, sprouting willow trees, the feeling of pulling peanuts with my mother, the memory of making sesame cakes on a cold night during the Mid Autumn Festival.

All these feelings have been carefully observed, and they are very important for my perception and empathy as I grow up.

I have heard many high achievers share that when recalling their childhood, they mentioned growing up in the countryside or on a farm, but never felt regretful about their childhood.

I share the same feelings as them. Before the age of six, children don’t actually need Disney, California Route 1, or taking them on too many trips, nor do they need to film all of their travels.

A child’s childhood can be simple, revolving around the community, observing the vegetable market, observing the people around them, observing nature, and observing plants.

When you are a child, try to minimize stimulation, and even be monotonous. Our children are finding it increasingly difficult to tolerate boredom.

Because when they are bored, they can play games and watch short videos. So our parents complain that my child doesn’t love reading because reading requires enduring boredom and at least enjoying quietness and solitude.

In my reflection, I also thought that if given another chance, I would use my daughter’s phone a little later.

After my daughter enrolled in an international school, she was equipped with three essential components: a mobile phone, an i-Pad, and a computer.

In my mind, this is a kind of trust, although my daughter does not have the problem of addiction to electronic products, she also missed the opportunity to cultivate acceptance of boredom.

She spends more time on the computer and less time reading now. Children’s joy should mainly be obtained through their own efforts and creativity, from the environment around them.

This is not only suitable for children, but also for adults. The more passive enjoyment, the less active pleasure.

Accustomed to finding pleasure in short videos, they are unwilling to stop and do boring things. Providing children with a wonderful life is not necessarily due to parents’ ignorance, but rather a subconscious remedy.

Adults who are materially poor in their childhood are more likely to give their children more toys and play, so rethinking our childhood may be the first thing to do.