The Importance Of Being Bored, As A Parent  15 months.  For my
son, boredom is basically non-existent. He can find
entertainment out of poking me in the eye. But for a parent,
boredom is a rare, higher state of being; in other words, it’s
basically nirvana.  Even when he is asleep, the dishes are done,
lunches are packed, and emails are checked, there’s still some
kind of necessary “wind-down” time that has to take place which
probably involves half-way watching American Idol, while being
pretty confident that Jessica Sanchez has already won it anyway.
Then I realize, “Hey, I could be sleeping right now.”  Sleep is
the go-to activity when there is ever actually extra time left
in the day. But in rare instances, it can even be possible as a
parent to enter the much elusive state of boredom.  Last week, I
had to go somewhere after dinner for about an hour; during the
time of night my wife and I generally watch an episode or two
of Lost together on Netflix streaming. When I walked in, I saw
my wife on the couch