Unit 66
　　Hidden Message behind a Child's Boredom
　　"Mommy, I'm bored." The child's complaint sounds innocent. The tone is demanding: "I need something to do." It's blaming: "You're not doing anything about it." And challenging, "Just try one of your useless suggestions."
　　What do you do with a ked dying of boredom? Before we can think about what to do, we need to look more closely at what children might actually mean when they say, "I'm bored."
　　They might be saying, "I haven't been getting enough sleep," in which case high stimulating entertainment is not available. A more complex message behind boredom might be: "I now have time to dwell on anxieties or fears that are usually pushed aside by interesting activities."
　　It may be that children need time to hide themselves in nothingness in order to unlock their imaginations. We know that one way kids work out inner problems is through imaginative play. They actually re-create themselves through fantasy, make believe games or artistic expression. They can play out emotions that might be too overwhelming, e.g. by pretending to be their favorite superhero and fighting their worst fear. They develop resourcefulness by replaying difficult real life scenarios and developing solutions to problems. Or they might just play in a way that enables them to recognize and accept their feelings.
　　Engaging in imagination engages a part of the brain that may not be used in school. Research on brain activity shows that what we know as imagination is generated in the right side of the brain where "open-ended ideation" takes place. In contrast, the left side of the brain is though thought to be "linear and logical." Performance in school, for example, tends to require intensive left side activity. Thus, the right brain provides an escape from life in the "fast lane" left side, and a rest from the barrage of external stimuli children are constantly processing in their daily lives.
　　Imagination provides many possibilities for play, and some children just seem to be born blessed with good imaginations. However, "Use your imagination" is not a realistic requirement. How do we encourage and cultivate this way of being?