Boredom and fear?

Apparently "boredom and fear" are, along with "helicopter parenting", the reasons for "protesting". Really?

It is an interesting idea. It seems that many children do expect to be constantly entertained now. 

I sometimes pass two day-care places where the children are at "free play" outside.  I have stopped pedalling on occasion to watch. Yes, there are some children who appear to know how to play. They are busy with their cars and lorries and cement mixers. There are many more though who are just aimlessly sending their little vehicles around tracks made by adults. There are some children apparently playing other games, more just wandering around.  And there are always one or two who are just standing at the fence staring out.

Play has changed since I was a kitten. We were sent outside to play. What we did there was largely our own affair. We played at being "Cowboys and Indians", "Doctors and Nurses", "Teachers", "Pilots", "Postmen" and much more. We built "wurlies" and "cubbies" and "tree houses" as we grew older. We played "cricket" and "footy" in the back streets and put on "plays" for the adults. We read books and taught ourselves craft skills when we wanted to make something.

Apparently you don't do that sort of thing now. I had to teach the children in the street how to play "Policeman" and stop and start their "traffic". Now they think it is a great idea. I will go out and be their policeman if there is no other adult to watch for the traffic but they will be the policeman if they are playing alone. They argue about whose turn it is and they are learning to negotiate as they do so. Their parents think "it's more like the way we played". Good. It should be.

These apparently "old" ways of doing something are not really "old" at all. They can teach children essential skills. It is why I give all the children "activity" packs instead of toys or books at Christmastime. It is why I was delighted when one of them came over to me the other day and asked if I had any green cardboard because he was making something for his teacher at school. I handed over the required A4 sheet with a sense of relief. Here was a child making something. Hopefully he is going to grow up into an adult who makes things and will not be bored or afraid.

If we want to protest we should not be doing it out of boredom or fear. We should be doing it because we have researched an issue and really know what it is about, why we object and what the possible solutions are.

There is an awful lot of time and energy wasted on mindless "protesting". It would be so good if it was used in a positive way.