February 02, 2009
I realize there is nothing fun about a pandemic. There can however be blessing hidden in all the crises in our lives. Last Thanksgiving we had three families in our home for four days. We had five kids five and under. We drank most of our three month supply of juice and went through lots of cereal and pancake mix. In the end it was a wonderful. We visited, read books, watch a movie, and watched the kids play. We realized this would be life during a pandemic. Hopefully we would self quarantine in time and no one would be sick but even if they were there would be the blessing of being together as a family. It’s that time I want to focus on today.
Each year I looked forward to summer coming. I loved it as a child and as a parent I love having a break from car pools and PTA and loved having my children at home. The fun didn’t last long as the age old problem reared it’s ugly head…I’m bored! Can you imagine the I’m bored we are going to have to deal with during a Pandemic? So let’s prepare.
We are currently working on our Family General Store each Monday. Part of that preparation will be to have treats on hand. At Thanksgiving we had very dreary weather. It was foggy and even a little rainy but the kids wanted to play outside. They “built” a spy hideout in the yard and played spy for hours. We have a fire pit so I decided to build a little fire so they could get their hands warm and sit around it for their “meetings” (it has a wire lid and we were watching) That led to the idea of making smores. Now that was fun. The best part…I had everything we needed in my General Store. As you plan for snacks be sure you have some you can make together, it will help pass the time. Also make sure you have some you can make without electricity, just in case.
Reading is fun. I love this poem.
The most important thing we’ve learned,
So far as children are concerned,
Is never, NEVER, NEVER let
Them near your television set –
Or better still, just don’t install
The idiotic thing at all.
In almost every house we’ve been,
We’ve watched them gaping at the screen.
They loll and slop and lounge about,
And stare until their eyes pop out.
(Last week in someone’s place we saw
A dozen eyeballs on the floor.)
They sit and stare and stare and sit
Until they’re hypnotised by it,
Until they’re absolutely drunk
With all that shocking ghastly junk.
Oh yes, we know it keeps them still,
They don’t climb out the window sill,
They never fight or kick or punch,
They leave you free to cook the lunch
And wash the dishes in the sink –
But did you ever stop to think,
To wonder just exactly what
This does to your beloved tot?
IT ROTS THE SENSE IN THE HEAD!
IT KILLS IMAGINATION DEAD!
IT CLOGS AND CLUTTERS UP THE MIND!
IT MAKES A CHILD SO DULL AND BLIND
HE CAN NO LONGER UNDERSTAND
A FANTASY, A FAIRYLAND!
HIS BRAIN BECOMES AS SOFT AS CHEESE!
HIS POWERS OF THINKING RUST AND FREEZE!
HE CANNOT THINK — HE ONLY SEES!
‘All right!’ you’ll cry. ‘All right!’ you’ll say,
‘But if we take the set away,
What shall we do to entertain
Our darling children? Please explain!’
We’ll answer this by asking you,
‘What used the darling ones to do?
‘How used they keep themselves contented
Before this monster was invented?’
Have you forgotten? Don’t you know?
We’ll say it very loud and slow:
THEY … USED … TO … READ! They’d READ and READ,
AND READ and READ, and then proceed
To READ some more. Great Scott! Gadzooks!
One half their lives was reading books!
Roald Dahl: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Plan now to read as a family. Think of the books you loved as a child and start checking out garage sales, ask mom if she still has some of those books and check the discount tables at book stores. Purchase a few and have them ready to sit and read as a family. This is the perfect opportunity to talk about values and goals as you follow the characters in the books. If a pandemic doesn’t happen before your child is too old for the book, wrap it up and give it to them as a birthday gift. Children are never too old to read together as a family. Try Harry Potter or other books designed for both kids and adults and your teens will love it too.
Movies are always good. We love movies in our family. We worked in the film industry for awhile and are really movie junkies. We are however, very picky about the movies we own. Our children have learned to love some of the classics, Casablanca, Princess Bride, Harry and the Hendersons, Rear Window, Ma and Pa Kettle and of course Shirley Temple. Watch for sales and purchase a few movies but don’t open them. Keep them in reserve so they will be new and fun when times are trying. Again if you don’t use them before Christmas give them as a gift. Just another way to be prepared.
Since this post is growing into a book I think we will revisit this topic another week but be thinking, and of course, share your thoughts with all of us. How will you prepare for the “I’m bored”?
I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the good work. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.
Actually, over their growing up years, our kids learned never to come to me and say, “I’m bored.” Because I would start by suggesting they read a book or some other activity and sometimes they went off to do that, but on the occasions when they persisted with the “I’m bored,” they soon found that Mom could find work for them to do. There was always dusting to do or rooms to straighten or floors to wash. Even as young as three or four, a child can be given a dust cloth.
I learned that trick from my mother and grandmother growing up in the country. You simply did not tell Grandma that you were bored, if you didn’t want to get put to work.
That said… for our kids we always had loads of board games, decks of cards, books and books on tape. When they were younger, they had a very strict amount of time to watch TV each day and only certain shows they were allowed to watch. After that, the TV went off and they had to find other things to occupy their time.
They had a dress-up trunk filled with hats, old clothes and Halloween costumes for playing dress up and putting on little skits. They had puppets for putting on puppets shows.
I kept boxes of craft supplies… crayons and colouring books, glue and paint.
And of course, we had music… both our favourites and their favourites. Many times there were impromtu sing-a-longs.
Older children can be taught to sew, knit, crochet, make candles, bird birdhouses, etc. And the older they are, the more they can contribute to helping around the house from cooking and baking, cleaning and doing laundry, yard and garden work. This not only stops the “I’m bored,” times but allows children to feel an important part of the family.
Our family of three recently had a 2 week trial of our pandemic preparation. I got the flu, my son got the flu, I got the flu again and then my husband got it. We stayed home from school and work. I learned LOTS about being our preparedness status. We didn’t have enough chicken noodle soup, or bowls or cough drops. We need a bell or intercom to communicate with each other outside the “sick room” and we need more books, puzzles and other distractions. I am so glad to have been through this little test! We have already remedied most of our shortfalls, so we are closer to being prepared if there is a “big one!”
I like the idea of buying movies and not opening them so they will be new and exciting. My favorite thing for the summer “I’m bored” plea that inevitably comes, is to buy little craft kits when they are on clearance at the craft store or at discount stores. You can get all kinds of different things – frames, birdhouses, card kits, etc. My kids ususally don’t even mind if they are for a certain holiday, it’s just doing it that is fun!
I loved the poem! (Going to print it off and use it for FHE.) We declared a TV/Video game/computer free week this past week. Gratefully, the weather was nice and what fun we all had! The kids played basketball, scooters, rode bikes, searched for bugs, collected rocks, and just wandered around the yard. Wonderfulness!!! Summers are difficult to keep everyone happy for days on end. Thanks for the suggestions.
Well if books are the answer, I am more than prepared. I have a book fetish and have well over 1000! I enjoyed reading the poem to my family. It was nice to tell them that I am not a crazy old librarian, but rather extremely prepared for the worst!
What a cute granddaughter you have!