Put Down Devices, Let Your Mind Wander

Short story: went camping with my buddy, his kid and my daughter. Kids at the time were the same age. We go to leave, in seperate cars, I pull up next to him, his kid is in the back staring at his iPad already, we'd not even left and had a 2hr drive ahead of us.

My daughter asks if she can have her iPad or my phone. No. I said. She starts telling me how she will be bored and trying to convince me to give her a device. Nope stare out the window, be bored, come up with stuff in your head.

15 minutes in, shes knocked out asleep.

I tell my kids all the time, be bored, its good for you. They will please and beg. 5 minutes later they will be singing, wrestling, drawing, reading or just blankly staring into the abyss on their ceiling, mind wandering and doing what it needs to do.

Some time later we found out my buddies kid had anxiety so bad he was pulling out his own hair and biting his nails. He was for lack of a better words addicted to his devices. They worked on it and he seems better now.

Be bored.

Its good for you.