At the tail end of an uncharacteristically large snow storm, schools have been closed yet again tomorrow. A loud and unanimous cry went out into the universe like the bat signal into the sky: “I’M BORED!”

Mothers (and fathers) are annoyed, and children are no longer having fun throwing snow/slush/ice/dirt balls at each other. The magic has worn off. The shine is gone. The hot chocolate lost its chocolate-ness. The snowman lost his head.

The freedom of no school has become the enemy.

So, before you snap and drop your kids off at school even though the doors are locked and the sidewalks are yet to be shoveled, I offer a bit of advice that I lovingly give my own children whenever they dare to utter the words, “I’m bored.”

Darlings, if you’re bored, you can…

-Create something

-Build something

-Write something

-Draw something

-Read something

-Share something

-Learn something

-Imagine something

-In short, PLAY.

You are welcome to do all of these activities alone (except for sharing, which is best done with others), with your siblings, or with any other small people that you can find as long as they clean up after themselves before they leave and they don’t eat the good potato chips. Nothing that could cause a concussion, massive bleeding or destroy my furniture. If you would feel guilty if you got caught, think about it long and hard. If you break it, you buy it. Otherwise, have a ball.

If all of these options are still too “boring”, you are welcome to a list of activities as long as your tiny bored little arm that I do each day to keep our household in order. You are welcome to participate in the work that is necessary to feed, clothe, shelter, and pay for all of the things you have that are too boring to play with. It is not as exciting as the other list, but it will keep you just as busy. I’ll give you a hint…it involves cleaning the toilet and trying to match up all of the lost socks.

While you spend the next six to eight hours working my list, I’d be happy to take your boredom and sit on the sofa with a book.

It’s a magic formula. No boredom to be found anywhere.