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SALT LAKE CITY — It's the dog days of summer, and without school, kids may be having trouble killing the time.
"I'm bored" or "There's nothing to do" may be common complaints parents hear on a daily basis, but counselors say there could be deeper issues underneath the boredom facade.
"Sometimes, the boredom really means, ‘I'm feeling isolated,' " said Douglas Goldsmith, executive director of The Children's Center.
Goldsmith said this is a good time for parents to reconnect with kids by spending some time together.
"The parents should sit down and say, ‘Let's talk about that. Let's talk about how you're feeling and let's talk about some different things we can do when it's raining outside or it's too hot to go out,' " Goldsmith said.
If the parent is busy, Goldsmith said it may help for the child to make a list of activities they know they enjoy doing.
"When they are bored it means, ‘I'm having trouble selecting something.' Go to the list, point to number five (for example) and then do it," he said.
When they are bored it means, 'I'm having trouble selecting something.'
–Douglas Goldsmith
Most likely the child won't be in the mood to do whatever is on the list, Goldsmith said. In that case, the child may have reached a certain level of boredom and will push back against any suggestion they are faced with, he added.
However, Goldsmith said once parents get their kids to engage in the activity, the battle is half over.
"You don't always have to feel like doing it," Goldsmith said. "If you just engage in a fun activity, it will become fun and you won't be bored anymore."
