Do Your Civic Duty - Bore a Child Today

100 years ago, parents fretted over keeping their children fed. Today, parents fret about keeping their children amused. Videos, theme parks, iPods, and trips to the mall are among the attempts parents make to keep their children from slipping into that dreaded state of boredom.

Yet it is unlikely that anyone who is continually amused by life will ever have the time or inclination to define a life. Leo Buscalgia once shared his response to his children complaining, "Dad, I'm bored." "Good," he responded. "Let me know how it works out."

So much lies beyond boredom - wonderful things like creativity, goal formulation, and introspection. Given that, consider it a public service to bore a child today. If you can, offer to pick up a niece or nephew, a neighbor's child, even your own child, and take them somewhere devoid of stimulation. See how it works out.