Boredom

Are you bored? Based on the number of times my kids claim boredom, I'd guess it was their primary objective. Yet how can the three of them be bored? At 5, 7 and 9, they are perfectly juxtaposed to laugh at poop jokes on cue. Teasing and unsolicited torturing provides hours of entertainment, as does climbing on off-limit furniture, and sliding down staircases in sleeping bags. There are at least a couple thousand dollars stowed away in IKEA bins, disguised like Legos, Barbies, Polly Pockets, Littlest Pet Shop, and Playmobil. Then there are the basics like old fashioned wooden blocks, dollhouse, puzzles, books, boardgames, arts and craft supplies, an over-flowing dress-up bin, a family of Potato Heads and baby dolls with all the fixin's. The yard offers a playset, bikes and scooters, wooded acres and climbing trees. Heck, we even have a lovable Labrador called Rudy. When my oldest daughter describes herself as bored, she either wants to bake cookies or use the computer. The only thing I can figure is that the word boredom, say it isn't so, has been mislabeled. Boredom is really code for "forget all that other crap, all I want to do is... "