"Mom, I'm bored."

Sound familiar? Sometimes it feels like I hear this within the hour of my 9.5 year old son waking up in the summertime (and on weekends all year round)! It has to be one of the most frustrating things to hear from him given the amount of play things, books, games, and opportunities provided him. More often than not, I tell him, "Boredom builds character, you." When I use this line he gives me "the look"--straight face, eyebrow slightly raised The Rock style, and sometimes an eye roll to really drive home that he is unamused. Yet, it's true! Being bored leads to some incredibly creative and insightful outcomes for many people. Our lives are not centered around his constant entertainment. Okay, this may sound harsh to some, but I want to push Homer to become his best self by discovering new methods of play, and expanding his interests beyond video games and other electronics; in doing so, I am not playing with him nor entertaining him every time he asks me. I said I wasn't going to be the mom who let her kid play video games beyond an hour a day once he was old enough; I said I wasn't going to be the mom who ever let my child simply be alone and figure things out when it came to his day-to-day life at home.

Confession: I am that mom.

I'm not proud of it and I'm not sorry at the same time. We don't have tons of similarly aged boys who live nearby (our neighbor kids are mostly girls). Homer's favorite neighbor with whom he had so much in common moved recently leaving The Kid pretty sad and increased the frequency of "Mom, I'm bored." While hearing this causes me to have a heart-twinge, I have learned for my own sanity to say to him: "Find something to do." I tell him this knowing full-well there is plenty for him to safely discover both inside our home and outdoors near our home. I want him to put in some effort. I want him to explore, to try, to fail, to pick himself back up.

Friends, I want my son to be bored.

Not because I'm mean or have better things to do myself (maybe I do sometimes), but because I truly believe his boredom will lead to a great discovery for him. The discovery of a new talent or passion. The discovery of a new friend or something he doesn't like that he thought he did. The discovery of a yet-to-be-revealed part of himself that will lead to something magnificent later in his life. The possibilities are endless. Truly.

So, Mommas, let them be bored sometimes.

It's okay.

Character, growth, invention, fascination, memories, beliefs, knowledge...the list goes on. These are the things they will discover when they are bored.