Mom Believes Society Is Failing Kids By Not Letting Them 'Do Nothing'
She makes a valid point about letting kids have space to explore.
Jacob Lund | Canva Pro Parents’ beliefs can differ widely around the country and the world, and there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to raising our kids, as every child has unique needs.
Many parents might feel alarmed by the idea of giving their children time throughout the day to simply “do nothing,” as one homeschool mom, Amber Cimiotti, suggested in a recent TikTok. While this method may not work for everyone, the mom presented an interesting argument about how having free time without any obligations in childhood can actually improve a child’s growth and development.
After all, we’re only kids for a short time in our lives — shouldn’t we allow our children to enjoy it?
The mom took to TikTok to explain why she lets her kids ‘do nothing’ for hours everyday.
Amber Cimiotti is a homeschool mom who strongly believes that society’s focus on mental health seems to contradict the lifestyles we expect young kids to live.
“I can’t believe we don’t prioritize just having kids do nothing ... without being told what to do, without being in school, without learning something, without being in an activity, without having a coach, without rushing around,” Cimiotti detailed. “I mean, adults don’t even like the level of busy we are.”
Of course, understanding responsibilities, gaining an education, and engaging in structured activities are all vital elements of childhood that introduce kids to their unique interests and the complexities of the real world. Cimiotti made a good point that parents should consider the benefits of including time in their kids’ busy schedules to simply “do nothing.”
She highlighted the significance of allowing kids to “just be kids” so they can nurture relationships with themselves without any pressure or restraint.
The mom briefly described her homeschool schedule with her kids, which includes unstructured time.
Their morning begins with learning about a subject, such as reading. Afterward, she does a workout in her bedroom and gives her kids space to do their own activities.
“I want my kids to have hours in the day where they can do whatever they want, to be creative, to come up with things,” she expressed.
As she sat outside, she flipped her camera to reveal her kids building some sort of “system” in the backyard.
“I don’t even know what’s going on, but it’s not my business; they’re just creating something,” she said. “And if I was busy telling them what to do or trying to teach them something or whatever, they wouldn’t be doing [their own activity].”
While some form of structure and discipline is necessary for kids to develop stability, not everything in life needs to follow a routine. Rather, kids need to establish the freedom to be bored and explore without the influence of technology and social media.
“We have been hardwired as parents to think we constantly need to be entertaining or doing an activity with our kid or teaching our kid when they really just need to have space to breathe,” Cimiotti explained. “All of us need to have space to breathe.”
While structure breeds stability, boredom breeds creativity.
Cimiotti expressed how society is inhibiting the natural creative development of young generations’ minds by placing too much emphasis on structure and routine.
“We’re so concerned about mental health, but we are like stressing the kids out,” she said. “Yes, maybe they’re super smart and overachieving and memorizing everything, but they’re stressed.”
While kids do learn vital skills from regular schedules, this kind of lifestyle at such a young age can also create unnecessary stress and lead to mental health challenges later on in life. In reality, kids are meant to navigate boredom and enjoy unstructured playtime throughout their youth, which will allow them to learn essential skills.
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According to Healthline, kids gain numerous cognitive, physical, social, and emotional benefits from play. When parents allow their children to be bored, they have the space to cultivate independence, creativity, problem-solving skills, and tolerance.
It’s important to foster a balance between structure and self-exploration in our kids. You might be surprised to discover what they can learn when given the space to navigate their boredom safely and freely.
Francesca Duarte is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team based in Orlando, FL. She covers lifestyle, human-interest, adventure, and spirituality topics.