It has taken exactly one month since the end of school for the words to come out of my 12-year old son’s mouth.  "I’m bored."  Actually he has said those words before but only when there’s been a lull in the action during a day filled with Nintendo DS, creating armor out out duct tape, index cards, padded mailing envelopes, and foam poster board, and playing a new Star Wars game involving plastic assemble-yourself-ships and teeny tiny red dice.

Today, he was bored in the morning before I left for my Sunday morning bike ride. He was bored when I returned several hours later. And he was bored after I woke up from a restful afternoon nap.  Finally, my husband declared a "no bored" zone. At least that’s what was created when he said, "I’m tired of hearing that you are bored. If you can’t find something to do, I’ll assign you something to do. There are plenty of clean up tasks around the house."

My son promptly walked out of the living room and into the kitchen. The words, "I declare myself no longer bored" trailed behind him.  He and his brother have been happily occupied since then–doing card tricks for each other, playing a Wii game, and taking bets on what would happen in the seventh and last Harry Potter book, due out later this month.

This evening, his best friend next door returned after five days away.  I had to chuckle when I heard him call on the phone. "Where have you been? I’ve been so bored!" 

It reminds me of the saying about we are only as happy as we decide to be. For kids on summer break, they are only as bored as they decide to be.