Wren,I think they mean many parents see value for the children from being bored. Some brag about taking that to the extreme too. Most people pride themselves on being balanced. I have to think people would parent differently in different environments and in different situations. To each their own. Like you seem to live in the fast lane. Study's say there's better ways. But recent newspaper articles say spending time being bored leads to increased risk of heart attack. I'm not sure if they were being ironic. It was the WSJ, not Prevention magazine.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703395904576025482554838642.html?mod=WSJ_Ahed_AutomatedTypes#articleTabs%3Darticle

Youth lives by personality, age lives by calculation. -- Aristotle on a calendar