We can always hear the kids’ crying wherever we go, why? It turns out that they feel bored, and unable to find the things that entertain them. But what should parents do? Does beat them up work out? Not really.

生活中，總會(huì)聽到孩子們的哭鬧聲,，為什么呢,？多半是閑的,，找不到能夠契合他們心理的東西，這個(gè)時(shí)候,，打一頓就好啦？并不,。

Parents often feel guilty if children complain of boredom. But it’s actually more constructive to see boredom as an opportunity rather than a deficit. Parents do have a role, but rushing in with ready-made solutions is not helpful. Rather, children need the adults around them to understand that creating their own pastimes requires space, time and the possibility of making a mess (within limits–and to be cleared up afterwards by the children themselves).

如果孩子抱怨自己無聊,，父母常常會(huì)感到內(nèi)疚。但是把孩子無聊時(shí)光看作是一個(gè)好的時(shí)機(jī)實(shí)際上更具建設(shè)性,。父母確實(shí)能起到作用,，但用現(xiàn)成的解決方案是沒有幫助的。相反,，孩子需要他們身邊的大人們明白,，要?jiǎng)?chuàng)造孩子們自己的消遣時(shí)光需要空間，時(shí)間,，還有可能制造出來一些混亂（在極限內(nèi)—并由孩子自己清理）,。

They will need some materials too, but these need not be sophisticated–simple things are often more versatile. We’ve all heard of the toddler ignoring the expensive present and playing with the box it came in instead. For older children, a magnifying glass, some planks of wood, a basket of wool, and so on, might be the start of many happily occupied hours.

他們還需要一些材料，但這些不必太復(fù)雜—簡(jiǎn)單的東西通常更具有創(chuàng)造性,。我們都聽說過幼兒忽略了昂貴的禮物反而玩起了它的盒子,。對(duì)于年齡較大的孩子，放大鏡,，一些木板,，一籃羊毛等等，可能是許多幸福有效的時(shí)間的開始,。

But to get the most benefit from times of potential boredom, indeed from life in general, children also need inner resources as well as material ones. Qualities such as curiosity, perseverance, playfulness, interest and confidence allow them to explore, create and develop powers of inventiveness, observation and concentration. These also help them to learn not to be deterred if something doesn’t work the first time, and try again. By encouraging the development of such capacities, parents offer children something of lifelong value.

但是從生活中來看,，為了使孩子們從所謂的無聊時(shí)光中受益，孩子像需求物質(zhì)資源一樣同時(shí)需求內(nèi)在資源,。諸如孩子們需要擁有好奇心,，毅力，娛樂性,，興趣和信心等素質(zhì)使他們能夠探索,，創(chuàng)造和發(fā)展創(chuàng)造力，觀察力和集中力,。這些也幫助他們學(xué)會(huì)不被困難打倒,，即使第一次的嘗試失敗，他們也可以繼續(xù)嘗試,。通過鼓勵(lì)這種能力的發(fā)展,，父母為孩子提供終身受益的東西。

If a child has run out of ideas, giving them some kind of challenge can prompt them to continue to amuse themselves imaginatively. This could range from asking them to find out what kind of food their toy dinosaurs enjoy in the garden to going off and creating a picture story with some friends and a digital camera.

如果一個(gè)孩子沒有想法,，可以給他們更多的挑戰(zhàn)來促使他們繼續(xù)用想象力自娛自樂,。這可能包括從要求他們找到他們的玩具恐龍?jiān)诨▓@里享用什么樣的食物,，到與一些朋友用數(shù)碼相機(jī)創(chuàng)造一個(gè)圖片故事。

Most parents would agree that they want to raise self-reliant individuals who can take initiatives and think for themselves. But filling a child’s time for them teaches nothing but dependence on external stimulus, whether material possessions or entertainment. Providing nurturing conditions and trusting children’s natural inclination to engage their minds is far more likely to produce independent, competent children, full of ideas.

大多數(shù)家長(zhǎng)都會(huì)同意,，要把他們的孩子培養(yǎng)成具有獨(dú)立思考和行動(dòng)能力自立的個(gè)體,。可是家長(zhǎng)們又不能陪伴引導(dǎo)孩子,，而是用一些專業(yè)課或者娛樂設(shè)施來填充孩子們的時(shí)間,。相信孩子們的自然傾向，給孩子們提供一個(gè)寬松的培養(yǎng)條件,，真正的引導(dǎo)孩子,，更有可能培養(yǎng)出獨(dú)立的，有能力的,，有想法的孩子,。

In fact, there’s a lesson here for all of us. Switching off, doing nothing and letting the mind wander can be great for adults too–we should all try to do more of it.

事實(shí)上，這給我們所有人都上了一課,。放下手上的事情,，什么也不做，享受一下空白時(shí)光對(duì)成年人來說也是很好的,，我們都應(yīng)該盡量多這樣做,。