Will a DIY book carrier keep my child from complaining of boredom?

Either way, it's worth making.

I’ve mentioned this before, but experiencing life as an adult in the exact place where I grew up is a fascinating thing. The childhood memories I recall the most vividly as I become reacquainted with everything around me in my adulthood are primarily the ones I absorbed in the moments when I was bored out of my mind between the ages of eight and fifteen. The sunlight. The sounds. The colors. The movement of the plants and animals. These were all details that embedded themselves within me during the laziest of days when nothing was planned or mapped out on the calendar. 

Whether I was looking out my window listening to the same three albums on repeat, propping sticks against a tree to make a lean-to fort, or biking over the dirt road while trying not to get my shoelaces tangled in the spokes (it happened once when I was in kindergarten and I’ve never gotten over the crash), everything about the land around me seemed to sink in when I believed life was “booooorrrr-iiiiinnnng.” (Yes, we had a TV, but it only got two channels. We didn’t use it much.)

When I complained to my parents that I had nothing to do, they suggested the usual:

Go outside.
Read a book.
Make something. 

Not only is this the same advice that I now dole out to my own kids, but it’s pretty much my dream agenda for myself:

Go outside (without being in a rush)!
Read a book (without falling asleep)! 
Make something (for the simple joy of creating)! 

Or better yet, go outside and read a book about making something! (But more on that shortly.) 

As a library family (my husband works at a public branch) that lives in the woods, it’s pretty easy to remember to get outside and/or crack open a book. And as a small business owner in a creative field, I’m making things every day—  usually with the intention of assisting folks with adding function and character to their spaces while hopefully being better stewards of our one shared home. But making things for the sake of slowing down and relishing the magic of my own mind and hands is something I need more of in my life. And my children, ages 3 and 7, could use more of all the above. 

Of course boredom doesn’t need to be avoided, as it spurs on our imagination and observation skills. Thankfully, this week’s mail yielded three exceptional bundles that gently remind me of the endless goodness that we can bring into being at any time, but particularly in those exquisite moments when we might otherwise default to scrolling, and when the kids claim they are B-O-R-E-D.

Above: A bit of twine and a strap from an unused camera bag repurposed as a book carrier for our 7 year old. This is how he lugged an oversized book to and from the Farmhouse last year, as it didn’t fit in his backpack. He’s since used the carrier regularly to tote his books around town, handsfree.