Boredom

The school year will soon be over and parents will hear the whiny refrain, "I'm bored. There's nothing to do."

Oh, really, children of the Millennium? You have computers, video games, and all manner of hand-held devices that can take you on quests, into combat, or smack dab in the middle of a virtual world that you create. You have streaming access to just about any movie or TV show ever made. You have custom radio to suit your listening preferences. How could you ever be bored?

Being bored was much easier fifty years ago. Our childhood quests were in the pages of books, Our simulated combat involved running and hiding from our friends. Our virtual worlds were in our imaginations. We were stuck with whatever movie was showing at the neighborhood theater, which of the three network TV shows were broadcast at the time and whatever the local radio station decided to play. It took some effort to entertain ourselves and we had very limited choices.

Not to go all "Back in the day, we walked twelve miles to school through snowdrifts over our heads uphill, both ways", but may be it is better for kids to develop their own imaginations rather than rely on what some Playstation or X-box programmer came up with. Of course, you always run the risk of being bored by going it alone.