tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21976303.post6420912486722269786..comments2024-03-24T05:22:27.179-04:00Comments on Orthonomics: Orthonomicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07892074485262548496noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21976303.post-83636633544241638212008-08-30T16:33:00.000-04:002008-08-30T16:33:00.000-04:00In the world of therapy and psychology, patients (...In the world of therapy and psychology, patients (at least, adult patients) often use the word "bored" in reference to something vaguely threatening, although they themselves aren't necessarily aware of the association.<BR/><BR/>Maybe in this case the perceived threat is connected to aspects of the summer vacation -- not having a concrete, day-to-day schedule to rely upon, not really knowing how to fill one's time without the constant buzz of all the electronic objects you all mentioned, the simultaneous and conflicting worry of wanting vacation to end, and wishing it would go on forever, and many other things.A Living Nadneydahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14365370597831368062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21976303.post-31226310970343286912008-08-30T14:53:00.000-04:002008-08-30T14:53:00.000-04:00Hmm, I grew up in the late seventies/eighties. We ...Hmm, I grew up in the late seventies/eighties. We had cable tv, vcr and i almost always had a walkman/tape deck for my room. I watched A TON of tv- morning, noon and night. We watched in the mornings when we got up and when we got home from school. I also did brownies, flute lessons and other stuff, but mostly, after school, it was a lot of tv until my mom got, home from work, when i did my homework, had supper, went to bed.<BR/><BR/>My point is, let's not kid ourselves that this newfangled technology is the first of its kind and all of the sudden our kids are the first ones to experience mind numbing media devices. And let's also not pretend we all experienced childhoods that were only filled with educational, wholesome pursuits 24/7. I think a lot of parents have this fantasy that they didn't watch much tv as kids, but when they sit down to think about it, they realize that they actually did watch quite a bit.<BR/><BR/>(btw, i barely watch tv now, except for shows i really like, and i've always been an avid reader. So... make of that what you will. My children, 3 and 5 are only allowed to watch the preschool channel that has no ads. But they are still quite addicted to it.)Commenter Abbihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07753256568022159103noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21976303.post-60934468707274163002008-08-29T14:39:00.000-04:002008-08-29T14:39:00.000-04:00Allow me to flash you young 'uns back in time. Mu...Allow me to flash you young 'uns back in time. Music: when you put on the record player. In high school, some of us had walkmen which played casette tapes that we had to carry along with us to switch over when we were done with one. No automatic switching sides either. And the radio was pretty limited. No VCRs--one girl in class who was pretty wealthy had one--a Betamax--and we could watch it when her parents allowed us to. Video games: at some point, in high school, something called "Pong" came out. OUr cousins who lived about 40 miles North had it so when we could, we drove over on a Motzei Shabbos to play. Pacman was fun, but it was in airports only then. Really cool. T.V.: we had your basic 7 channels and whatever was on, was on. If your parents allowed you your T.V. time and if something good was actually on, then we watched it in between Machanayim and jumprope. Seriously. I'm willing to jump into this millenium, but I will harness the garbage it has shoved down our kids' throats.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21976303.post-57537320128014410592008-08-29T14:33:00.000-04:002008-08-29T14:33:00.000-04:00Abbi, I don't know about you, but I grew up in the...Abbi, I don't know about you, but I grew up in the 70's and we didn't walk around with our T.V. attached to us. Just today, I saw a little boy we know walking from his mom's car into the cleaners while playing his ds, completely engrossed. Ipods completely shut them out of their surroundings. DVD players in cars again take them away from their fellow family members, the conversation of their parents (valuable) and their own thoughts! Nope. Not the same world. Not the same choices. Plugging your kids in all day every day is unhealthy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21976303.post-9747449659576895022008-08-28T22:12:00.000-04:002008-08-28T22:12:00.000-04:00I'm with you SL in welcoming some boredom into my ...I'm with you SL in welcoming some boredom into my life. For years before Rosh Hashanah I used to ask for a boring year. That didn't work so I switched to asking for a boring month. Didn't happen again. I went from a month to a week to a day to a few hours and that seemed to do the trick. Sitting in a comfy chair with a cup of coffee contemplating the scenery outside the window--that's not boring; it's absolutely refreshing.ProfKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17954446826821665314noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21976303.post-77229296108440573592008-08-28T16:25:00.000-04:002008-08-28T16:25:00.000-04:00"That and the fact that ipods and ds's are removin..."That and the fact that ipods and ds's are removing them from themselves too."<BR/><BR/>Because before ipods, Walkmen, VCRs, tv, didn't exist?Commenter Abbihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07753256568022159103noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21976303.post-47399398958432704242008-08-28T15:18:00.000-04:002008-08-28T15:18:00.000-04:00"Today it seems that many children are removed fro..."Today it seems that many children are removed from the day to day life of their parents. "<BR/><BR/>Absolutely. Major problem. That and the fact that ipods and ds's are removing them from themselves too.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21976303.post-42465787181811427742008-08-28T13:58:00.000-04:002008-08-28T13:58:00.000-04:00Talmudita, Great you mention this. In Pirkei Avot...Talmudita, Great you mention this. In Pirkei Avot, as I'm sure you know, there is an admonition not to turn one's thoughts away from a review to exclaim on the beauty of creation. I read a nice interpretation that talked about the importance of being alone with one's thoughts and not running to interupt them.<BR/><BR/>I might be alone, but I believe that the go-go-go environment hurts our children and ourselves. As soon as we get started with one activity it is on to the next. As soon as our kids get absorbed with a project or a book, we pull them away because something else is on the schedule instead of letting the activity reach its natural end. <BR/><BR/>Of course, in life there is a lot to do. The question is how to control that to allow for that downtime needed.Orthonomicshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07892074485262548496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21976303.post-49001588353875290992008-08-28T13:08:00.000-04:002008-08-28T13:08:00.000-04:00I think adults are also scared of being bored, or ...I think adults are also scared of being bored, or rather don't know <I> how </I> to be bored. In school we learned about a lot of psycho-social benefits people get from being bored - you start to think more deeply, pay more attention. And now people actually have trouble getting there because they have cell phones and as soon as they get just a little bored, they entertain themselves.talmuditahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15867488964547904207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21976303.post-88291949021646167742008-08-28T12:42:00.000-04:002008-08-28T12:42:00.000-04:00In case anyone's kids are bored, my newest idea fo...In case anyone's kids are bored, my newest idea for a project (for me) is to make a rag doll - I'm thinking a Raggedy Ann - for my daughter. I've done some googling, and it doesn't seem like a terribly complex project, and I think it's cool to have hand-made, soft-bodied dolls.Leah Goodmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16546935038863589318noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21976303.post-61878476854321013042008-08-28T10:51:00.000-04:002008-08-28T10:51:00.000-04:00I agree with you wholeheartedly. Children need to...I agree with you wholeheartedly. Children need to learn to "just be" with themselves and their families without organized activities structuring their time. There are many opportunities for structure - school, camp, shabbos groups, etc. Kids need to learn to create their own structure and develop their own interests - whether that means books, exercise, building models, sewing, art, etc.<BR/><BR/>The time for them to be "finding themselves" should be now and not in their 30s backpacking across Europe.frumhousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02735783157413222489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21976303.post-86632718749766918812008-08-28T10:26:00.000-04:002008-08-28T10:26:00.000-04:00An excellent moshol about avoiding boredom, as wel...An excellent moshol about avoiding boredom, as well as an enjoyable kids book in its own right is <A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0394820371?ie=UTF8&tag=lennhoff-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0394820371" REL="nofollow">The Phantom Tollbooth</A>. Parents and kids would both have a great time reading it.Larry Lennhoffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06578073969473815180noreply@blogger.com