Parent, not entertainer: Why parents should not respond to bored kids' demands

Boredom can be good for kids. Having nothing to do makes them creative and helps them learn to deal with frustration. — ANASTASIYA AMRAEVA/Westend61/dpa

“I DON'T know what to do!”

Boredom can frustrate kids and set them whining. So should parents rush to the rescue? Absolutely not, says psychologist and author Rüdiger Maas, founding director of the Institute for Generation Research in Augsburg, Germany. The title of one of his books translates as “Happiness via Frustration: Why Boredom and Obstacles Make Our Children Strong.”