Two things have brought about this post.
Thing the first: last night I was talking to my sister about how Niece #1 loves to make up songs in the car. As two girls who grew up making up A LOT of songs, we are incredibly proud of this fact, especially since most of the people we know who have little kids complain about how their kids can’t ride in a car for ten minutes without getting bored and demanding to watch a DVD.
Thing the second: I was just on BarnesandNoble.com and I started listening to this interview with Meg Cabot where she talks about how being bored a lot as a kid and having to entertain herself was a major factor in her success.
Which is absolutely crazy because last night I said the following to my sister:
“I really think that if I hadn’t had to spend hours painting fence and driving tractors and doing the kinds of things where I had to keep myself entertained I wouldn’t be a writer today.”
Seriously, folks. We didn’t have iPods or portable DVD players. I didn’t carry a cell phone with me everywhere I went, talking to or texting my friends in every spare second.
I had to spend hours upon hours by myself. And you know who was responsible for keeping me entertained during that time? I was.
For my day job I used to spend a lot of time walking across the campus of a major university, and I swear EVERY SINGLE student I would meet on my walk from Waters Hall to the Student Union would be either listening to an iPod or talking on a cell phone.
Every.
Single.
One.
Which makes me wonder when these people are ever alone with their own thoughts?
When are they ever responsible for their own entertainment?
I’m not saying that a person who has an iPod and a portable DVD player and whatever the new video game software is can’t grow up to be the most awesomely creative person ever. But I do think creativity is like anything else–it’s better when you stretch it and use it and keep it in shape.
So go paint some fence this winter break, guys.
It never hurt anyone.
-Ally