Q: We live in the country and my 7-year-old son is bored out of his mind. He desperately wants to move to the city where he can have neighbor kids to play with. He constantly complains of having nothing to do. He has never been interested in playing with toys, so I can kind of sympathize with him because I grew up in the city and was constantly outside playing with my friends. The problem is my husband refuses to move out of the country. Any thoughts?
If your husband refuses to move to the city (I don't blame him), then your son is going to have to make the most of living in the country. After all, lots of kids grow up in rural areas and aren't bored.
I suspect that your well-intentioned sympathy for his "plight" is causing him to complain all the more, and the more he complains the more he convinces himself that there's nothing for him to do.
So, stop sympathizing. The next time he brings up how bored he is, say, "This is where your father and I have decided to live, and that's that. We're no longer going to talk about how bored you are. So your job is to stop complaining and find ways to occupy your time." In short, you need to starve this grumbling of attention.
My second suggestion is for you and Dad to help your son develop a hobby or get him involved in an after-school activity. Invite a friend to spend the afternoon once or twice a week and maybe even spend the occasional weekend night. Get to know families in your rural area that have children your son's age and invite them over. This little guy needs to learn how to occupy his time creatively, but some assistance from you and Dad is going to be necessary to get started.
