Less is more
Limiting access to fun actually increases the enjoyment
Almost every time my parents come over, they bring along something of my past. This time it was a board game they had kept in the cellar of 20 years and which would be fit for my son now.
Now where can I find a place to store it… I glance at the small place left above the wardrobe — maybe it will fit there. I know that unless I am intentional about playing with my only child, or suggesting it to his friends when they come over, it will just stay there and gather dust.
Our local library has a board game section with around 3000 games. Borrowing a few at a time and having to return them pushes us to play more than with board games we own, which are always available. The thought « it’s not mine and I can only enjoy it for a while » somehow incites us not to lose the opportunity. Because of the limited time the games are available, we will make some time to play. That incentive is lost when you own the game. How many board games we own were played only once and then forgotten ? Funny how constraints can help us to have more fun than freedom to play when we want.
Faced with the dreaded words « I’m bored » from number one son, I tried to make him evaluate his situation. I told him some poor kids in Africa don’t have any board games. They only have sticks and stones to play with, and they still manage to have fun.
He looked at me seriously and said : « can we go to Africa ? »
When everything is available all of the time, paradoxically, we’re bored. There is too much to choose from and we don’t really know what we want. We become brats, never satisfied with what we have, victims of our abundance. It’s time to set some constraints and start appreciating what we have.
