Here’s Exactly What to Say When Your Kid Tells You “I’m Bored!”

So, your kid is bored…and ‘bored’ doesn’t begin to describe just how sick and tired you are of hearing about it. Should you A) reach for the remote control B) rattle off a list of fun things for them to do C) book it to the toy store and buy that game they’ve been eyeing or D) do nothing at all? Well, friends, if you chose D, you’re on the right track. Still, ignoring a complaining kid is easier said than done. As such, we suggest you prepare yourself with a solid (in)action plan—like this one, courtesy of Dr. Siggie Cohen, a psychologist who specializes in child development. Here’s exactly what to say when your kid starts to whine about having nothing to do.

While it might drive you nuts when your kid whines about it, the expert tells us that boredom itself is not a problem. Per Dr. Siggie “boredom is neither right nor wrong; it is just a passing feeling on the way to initiative, imagination, motivation, self-reliance, and problem solving.” In other words, you can think of boredom as a catalyst—an uncomfortable, but fleeting experience that can play a significant role in helping your child develop a whole host of important skills.

OK, your knee-jerk reaction when the whining starts may still be to toss a tablet in your tot’s direction or turn on the tube, but Dr. Siggie offers a compelling reason why you shouldn’t. “The age of screen time has created a culture of accommodation,” she says. In other words, when you provide your kid with a quick fix in the form of technology, you’re really only exacerbating the (non) issue and hindering your child’s ability to tolerate (or banish) boredom in the future.