[fgoodwin]

Upon first reading this, I was worried until I got about 2/3rds of the way through it. I'm not sure I agree that letting my kids sit around bored is the best thing to do. I encourage them to get outside, away from the TV, Gameboy and Internet. Get together with their friends. But it is getting harder for kids these days to engage in unstructured play the way I did when I was a kid back in the 50s and early 60s.

[Killborn]

I'm bored right now. It is not a pleasant experience at all.

What's that drippping sound?

Oh, just my sanity...
hf38>$(gf

[proudofthesouth]

If they're bored and don't want or can't go outside to play, take them to the library or a used book store and get some good books for them to read or you to read to them.

[cripplecreek]

I grew up in the country and don't recall being bored for very long. Usually right up until my mom offered to give me something to do.

[leda]

geez! we have so few "slouch around days" here they're treated like holidays! and we have long since given up on sending any
of the kids to any sort of camps, there just is not enough
time! just getting everyone in the car to go out to dinner
is like herding kittens ;)

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

My friends and I used to play outside in the summer from morning until night, ride bicycles for miles, did all kinds of stuff that are frowned upon today.

[Chickensoup]

In evolutionary terms, the age of five or six has always been a crucial stage, at which youngsters naturally tend to stop spending so much time with their parents, and seek the company of their peers.

Evolutionary terms? What a joke.

[RayChuang88]

I think what is making parents less inclined for children to go out and play on their own is the fact our MSM has just flat-out scared the daylights out of parents with stories about criminals who prey on children.

Small wonder why every time I walk by a park on weekends I see a large number of minivans parked there and children playing in the park with parents tagging along nearly.