Why doing Nothing is Important

An oxymoron that has grown immensely important and the need of the hour, in our present, stressful times, is ‘doing nothing’. Yes, I know it is a tad confusing…weird, not doable (you might say that). But my fellow parents, ‘we need to do what we need to do’!

The lives of our children have become super busy. They have school to go to, which has become highly competitive. But even after that, their calendars are chock-a-block! For e.g. my son, a grade 2 student, is back home by 3:30 pm. I have enrolled him for tennis, thrice a week and twice a week, he needs to undergo his karate training. To add to our child’s woes, there is a constant competition within the parent community to flaunt and showcase the talents of our children. I know parents who literally sit with a checklist of skills that they think they need to develop in their children. We also believe that if our child is not kept busy, he will go astray or indulge in unproductive (a relative term) activities.

We take pains to dispel our child’s ‘alone-ness’. We try and schedule play dates and enrichment activities. Our children are immersed in a sea of modern gadgets, like the TV, Ipads and video games. It makes us guilt free at some level, as we are unable to provide our child with quality time. So, the entire family is just busy round the clock. Do we stop for a moment and reflect on the fact that just like us, our precious child can also be stressed, burnt-out and sleep deprived?

Doing nothing is like a health potion for our child’s mind, body and soul. Let us try and understand its significance:

1. Doing nothing helps our child re-establish his connect with his inner self and with his family and his surroundings. The child learns to explore his creative instincts and starts to think for himself. He becomes independent in the truest sense of the term. The bonus is that his mind also gets its well deserved down time and is recharged and ready to handle the challenges that a new day brings upon him.
2. The child embraces nature; he rediscovers the outdoors. Allow him this personal space to build mud castles outside and enjoy the sound of birds chirping. Let him inhale the freshness of flowers. You will see your child bloom! ☺
3. If your child is allowed to do nothing, he will eventually be grateful to you as a parent. In this state of ‘nothingness’, the child can be himself. He does not need to adhere to a certain role, there is no pressure to win and he is not being judged. It is perfect for our child’s holistic development.
4. Boredom is an exceptional teacher. Our child learns far more from this apparently unimportant nothingness, than we can imagine. During my son’s seemingly inactive state, he developed a passion for storytelling through his drawing. A talent so potent and impressive that it rendered me speechless (do excuse my immodesty☺).

Friends, ‘doing nothing’ is like therapy for our child’s soul. Let your baby merge into its infinite possibilities. Make a promise to yourself today, gift your child some NOTHINGNESS!