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Boredom-Busters on a Budget

© Jennifer Krausz

I love being at home with my kids. If I never worked for money again, I don't think I'd ever run out of things to do to keep it interesting. But being an at-home parent has its share of boredom. It can get stale every now and again. After all, how interesting can it be to read "Cat in the Hat" for the 547th time? To load the dishwasher for the 1,485th time? To tell your kids to pick up after themselves for the (seems like) billionth time?

A new friend of mine is going through one of these times right now. She recently wrote to me, "I laughed a little at myself when you said you want to stay home with your kids and write all the time, but life gets in the way. I will be honest with you, I have been staying at home for the last 14 years, and I don't feel the same way about it these days.

"Maybe I'm just being impatient. Our youngest will be off to kindergarten in Fall of 2002, then I will have more time to do what I want, maybe even go back and finish college. I honestly just get burned out and grouchy from being with these kids all the time, and then feel guilty about that. Maybe I can just add a couple things to my life that will help me get out and be around other adults and have a little fun now and then and keep working on my writing and photography.

"I used to love to keep the world at bay, but now days, I really wish I could feel more a part of it. I guess what it really comes down to is I get so doggone LONELY!!

"Does any of this make any sense to you? If you think I'm full of baloney, you can say so..."

Absolutely not! But what can a bored and impatient at-home parent do to spice things up without spending too much of the household budget? Oh, the possibilities . . .

1) Join a group that meets regularly and involves one of your interests. The possibilities here are endless. Mother's groups, Bible studies, the Welcome Wagon, or a specific interest group, like a discussion or activity group in your former career field (for me, it's a writer's group).

2) Audit a college course or take a course, for credit or not, from your local community college. As a BA graduate, I can audit courses for $50 at my alma mater. Community college courses range from under $50 to about $200. This may seem expensive, but over 13 weeks it amounts to only a few dollars a week for some new skills and meaningful, intellectual adult conversation.