STEVE writes:

This sentence from Pope Pius XII’s 1958 address resonates with me:

When there are many children, the youngsters are spared the boredom of loneliness and the discomfort of having to live in the midst of adults all the time.

We have six homeschooled kids and live in a four-bedroom house with a large yard in a neighborhood where everyone else – if they have children – has at most two designer kids (“We’re done!”). Generally, if their kids are not at some organized sports activity on Saturday, they wander down to our house by noon and peer over the fence because they are bored senseless with mom and dad. Our kids almost always are in the yard, jumping on the tramp, playing in the playhouse, playing on the playset, sword fighting, making up games, running, fighting, rolling around in cardboard boxes, drawing on the chalkboard, playing lacrosse etc. (My wife and I glance out the window every once in awhile.) Often, it’s the PARENTS who bring little Summer and Ashton (“We wanted names that would make them stand out as individuals”) down to our house because the parents are bored senseless trying to play with the kids.

That’s what is lost on this generation – sometimes life actually is easier the more kids you have. And now that the oldest is of babysitting age, Herself and I can escape to the local wine bar for an hour on a weekend evening with no worries that a high-priced babysitter (“I’m trained!”) will expose our kids to Lady Gaga.

—- Comments —-

Kendra writes:

I really enjoyed this post. The bored neighborhood “designer” kids are familiar to me. I only have three home schooled children, and they spent six hours last week in the yard, whittling Harry Potter style magic wands from tree branches. They cut them, sanded them, stained them with oil paints, and varnished them. All I saw of the project was the finished product. The kids liked the $40 Harry Potter wands at the book store last week, and decided to save a few dollars and make their own. They are fantastic! My children are each other’s best friends and I love their closeness.

We had neighbor kids once who went to public school. During the summer break, they were bored out of their skulls and always came over to our house to sulk. My kids would tell them, “If you are bored, then you are boring,” which is what I always tell them. If they did not perk up, we would just send them home. There is always something going on at our house and the kids stay very busy with chores, music, school work, and fun group projects.

Laura writes:

If you are bored, then you are boring.

How clever. And true.

Laura adds:

The same applies to a woman who says she is bored at home. If she is bored, then she is boring.

Julia writes:

As I was driving home yesterday, I was stopped behind a minivan at a traffic light. The rear window had stick figure decals representing members of the family. There was a father, mother, two children, three cats, two dogs and some kind of rodent. It seems to me that an excessive number of pets have replaced children in many families. I also notice on House Hunters, that young couples often want a specific neighborhood or large yard for their dog. There is no mention of future children. Oh and everybody needs a place to entertain. Don’t get me started on that. My home is my sanctuary not a club.

 Keep up the great work, Laura.

Laura writes:

My home is my sanctuary, not a club.

That is another great line.

The prevalence of pets replacing children is real, as has been discussed here before.

Pets do not have to be sent to college at an expense of $200,000 or more. But of course, college is so expensive because people are willing to pay for it.

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