Banned Words: "I'm Bored"

Dare to say these words at our house and you will unleash the ire of Queen.

Daughter proudly and dramatically mocks me as she sings these lines from a humorous and clever Hank the Cowdog song:

"When she's angry, when she's wrathful, the trees run for cover.
And when she speaks of her displeasure, the mountains hide their faces."
(-John Erickson, lyrics of "When She's Angry")

Children who say these taboo words here at our home are handed a toilet brush or other cleaning tools. If the Wright Brothers had television or battery-operated toys they probably would never have invented the airplane. My philosophy is "I'm not bored. I have lots do. Come, let me share."

Expressing boredom shows that you have not embraced the life God gave. Just go outside and study a blade of grass or the insects and worms underneath. Or study the human eye. You will see the complexity, beauty and order in nature, which could only be designed by a loving Creator. Bored? He who is bored with life is ungrateful for life.

He who is bored with life away from the video screen is probably addicted to it and needs to go through a period of fasting to re-discover life; to re-discover reading, quiet contemplation, self-reflection, and the value of time.

If a child dares to say these words or sometimes behave as if he should say these words, "I'm bored," you will find me reciting a long speech: "Clean a bathroom, fold the laundry, scrub the laundry room floor, read a book, solve a world problem invent a better toothbrush, do a math lesson, clean out the garage, sweep the garge, clean the car, wash the car, weed the flower beds, write a poem, write a letter, write a novel, vacuum the house, wipe the baseboards, dust the blinds," and on until they find something to DO.

Am I mean? No. What is cruel in the long run is to let children grow up thinking that their personal entertainment is someone else's responsiblity and that constant entertainment is of a higher value than hard work, productivity, and active creativity. And that time is to be squandered.

When you watch television you are consuming someone else's work and creativity, but when you write a poem you are thinking hard and working at something others can enjoy. Which is a better way to spend time? If poetry is boring to us we should ask ourselves why.