Off The Cuff

I’m Bored! Now What??

Posted by: From Arkansas in Are You Kidding Me?, Family stuff on Feb 10 2008

Welcome back!

That was the last thing I wanted to hear from a teenager. But that was what we heard for much of the summer and some of the fall. Now, it’s winter and it’s my sister’s turn to hear it. LOL! Three teens all at once were in the house over the weekend. You would think that older teens could figure it out. A younger teen does not seem to be able to do so if the computer is not part of the deal.

I remember when I was a kid. We did not have computers. We did not have much of anything, really. I had dolls, little soldiers because I played with boys in the neighborhood fairly often and assorted cars. I really had more than that but most of it escapes my memory at the moment. The point is that we had to use our imaginations!! Imagine that!!! Now days, the kids, teens and young adults do not have to use imagination for anything. They can find it on the internet, with their cel phones or whatever other means. But mainly, there is not one tiny bit of imagination required to find those video games.

Perhaps it’s time to shut down the computers, games and so on and take a few moments to try and think of something to do without all those crutches for the mind. Yes, I said MIND crutches. When a person does not have to use their mind to do anything, it will eventually have problems thinking up solutions to everyday problems. When that happens, if the computer isn’t up and running, there will be panic in the neighborhood for sure.

I use several games that improve memory and give me more mental exercise. Things like Bookworm and Mah Jong can help me figure out puzzles that give me a chance to really think. Yes, it is on my computer. If I did not have those, I would get out the crossword puzzles or some other means of getting my mind in gear. We need to develop those same ideas in the children’s minds, give them a challenge. They certainly need it since the schools have, for the most part, decided not to teach anymore.

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