Boredom Isn't an Emergency

If you grew up before or in the 1970s, your brain developed differently - this was a time of freedom and responsibility, something that can never be re-created again.

As a teenager in the 70s, I still savor the memories made during those years and realize I didn't actually know how good I had it. I'm sure a lot of you feel that way also. Does this phrase ring a bell -

"I grew up on hose water"

These are traits that we still possess that are extinct in today's kids:

1. Self-Directed Problem Solving

   
   

"Go find something to do or I'll find you something to do!"

We'd suddenly find ourself sweeping floors or cleaning bathrooms.

We learned fast to figure it out ourselves and created an unstructured childhood. We created our own entertainment, and that produced stronger executive function and creativity. We didn't have a scheduled activity life, but we invented each and every entire day from nothing.

Remember taking day-long bike rides with a group of friends without wearing helmets into places unknown? Or reading books all day long after walking to the library by yourself? Or building forts in the woods with neighborhood kids? We were never bored and loved our independence.

Our brains learned naturally how to generate purpose from emptiness. We are naturally creative, unlike kids today.

2. Adaptive Risk Calibration

   
   

We climbed trees that were too high, and we weren't scared, we broke bones, we were teaching our nervous systems "Threat Assessment." We are supposed to have a lower baseline for anxiety as adults, although sometimes I find that hard to believe myself!

The important thing is, when we rode bikes without helmets, set fires with fireworks and climbed on high, unstable rocks, our brains learned the difference between actual danger and manageable risk. We learned that by living it-not watching it on a screen or having a parent intervene. We have scars to prove it. We were experiencing physical risk in play, even without knowing it.

We find ourselves being in the middle of a crisis and immediately begin solving it instead of panicking.

3. Comfortable Solitude Capacity

   
   

Remember spending hours in our rooms listening to music, or outside talking to friends or exploring life alone? We weren't lonely when we were alone because there was nothing demanding our attention every few minutes or seconds (think smart phones).

Pre-Digital Childhood studies prove that constant connectivity in children today produce bored, restless and anxious children. We learned very early in life that boredom wasn't an emergency. Our brains never developed the addiction to constant stimulation.

4. Analogue Patience

   
   

We waited for our favorite show once a week; we took photos

on our Kodak Instamatic and waited for them to be developed; we memorized our friends' phone numbers if we wanted to talk to them. We experienced delayed gratification.

Research shows that people like us who waited on results have better impulse control and better relationship outcomes. We also have better career success. We trained unknowingly in having patience our entire childhood.

5. Unsupervised Autonomy Wiring

   
   

We were told to be back home when the streetlights came on, nobody tracked our whereabouts. I remember going to an apartment complex far from home when I was in 6th grade and climbing a fence to the swimming pool and swimming all day with friends. There's no going back, times have changed, and not for the better.

We learned to assess situations and make judgement calls, we dealt with consequences ourselves. Our parents were the authority, not our friends, and they actually trusted us to be competant. This is why we are the most awesome beings on the planet-we can adapt, plan and think critically without guidance.

When we look at today's world and see what we used to term a "generation gap," remember this - we are not outdated, we are just going extinct. Our independence that others term "coldness," that's competance. Our comfort in silence that others term "antisocial," that's depth. Our ability to wait that others term "apathy," that's discipline.

Parents would be arrested today if they raised their children like we were raised, and we survived it without hesitation or doubt. This built us into who we are, and we are a proud generation. We were both feral and civilized at the same time.

Old Fashioned Buttermilk Pancakes

Here is a recipe using ingredients my mama had on hand to make our pancakes. No box, no packet, not frozen, just good, old fashioned yummy pancakes. You can always substitute ingredients (remember, there are no rules, and we can adapt!). If you don't have buttermilk, add a teaspoon of white vinegar into the milk and let sit for 5 minutes. If you don't want to use vegetable oil, use melted butter instead. I know, I know, our moms used "margarine," but they didn't know better at the time.

Ingredients

1 1/4 c flour

1 egg

1 1/4 c buttermilk

1/4 c whole milk

1/4 c sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 c vegetable oil

Directions

STEP 1

Preheat griddle to 350 degrees (or you can use a nonstick skillet). Mix the egg, milks,

sugar in a bowl with a whisk. Add the soda and baking powder and whisk again. Add

the oil and flour and whisk until smooth.

STEP 2

Pour batter onto the griddle and flip when small bubbles appear. Makes about 6-8 large pancakes.