Boredom in parenting is meaningful and should be embraced rather than suppressed
Source: Daniel Smith. "Boredom Is the Price We Pay for Meaning - The Atlantic." February 27, 2026. www.theatlantic.com
The Gist
The author argues that feeling bored as a parent is normal and actually valuable, even though society tells us boredom is bad. Instead of fighting these feelings or feeling guilty about them, we should accept boredom because it teaches us important lessons about being human and makes life more meaningful.
Conclusion
Parental boredom, though uncomfortable, is a meaningful emotion that teaches us about our finite nature and should be accepted rather than suppressed or viewed as deficient
Premises
- Parenting involves extensive periods of genuine boredom despite deep love for one's children
- Society wrongly treats boredom as a character deficiency or moral failing that should be eliminated
- Attempting to suppress or escape from difficult emotions like boredom typically fails and causes them to fester
- Boredom serves an important function by teaching us about our finite, insignificant place in the universe
- Moving toward and accepting boredom, rather than running from it, leads to greater awareness and peace with reality
- The finite nature of our existence, revealed through boredom, actually makes life more meaningful and charged with significance
Assumptions
- Emotions serve evolutionary or psychological purposes even when unpleasant
- Authentic self-awareness requires accepting uncomfortable truths about ourselves
- Meaning in life comes partly from accepting rather than constantly seeking stimulation
- Parental love and parental boredom can coexist without contradiction
- Societal attitudes toward emotions can be misguided and harmful