Let your kids be bored

“I’m so bored.”

It’s a common refrain you hear as a parent, when your child tells you that there is “nothing to do” and they are “SO bored.”

My forty-something dad comeback?

I’ll tell them to stop being boring and then follow it up by telling them that they don’t know real boredom. Trying growing up in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. You don’t know boredom until you find yourself on a cold January morning in rural Wisconsin with three tv stations (my childhood).

Our kids have the requisite video game consoles, books to read, traditional board games to play and, oh yeah, Pacific Ocean is a mile away. Yet, we still hear the refrain of how they are SO bored.

You know what? It’s a good thing. You want them to be bored. According to Manoush Zamorodi, author of the book Bored and Brilliant, you want your kids to be bored and it’s good to be bored yourself.

There are few symbols that represent our our past and the American West quite like the American Bison, better known as the Buffalo. The “Official Mammal” of the United States is often used throughout North America in official seals, flags and logos. In the Native American community, the bison is a revered, especially among the Plains Indians who consider it a sacred animal and religious symbol.

As a history major in college and someone with a specific interest in the historical West, I’ve long been fascinated by the Buffalo. One of the best books I’ve read in years is American Buffalo: In Search of a Lost Icon by Steve Rinella. The well-known podcast host and star of MeatEater on Netflix authored a compelling and comprehensive history of the animal and the incredible impact it has had on our nation’s history.

Let Your Kids be Bored

Embrace Your Inner Bison and Run Toward the Storm