Here is another take on boredom from http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2008/03/09/the_joy_of_boredom/?page=1

Quote
Lolling around in a state of restlessness is one of life's greatest luxuries. To be bored is to stop reacting to the external world, and to explore the internal one. It is in these times of reflection that people often discover something new, whether it is an epiphany about a relationship or a new theory about the way the universe works. Granted, many people emerge from boredom feeling that they have accomplished nothing. But is accomplishment really the point of life? There is a strong argument that boredom -- so often parodied as a glassy-eyed drooling state of nothingness -- is an essential human emotion that underlies art, literature, philosophy, science, and even love.

"If you think of boredom as the prelude to creativity, and loneliness as the prelude to engagement of the imagination, then they are good things," said Dr. Edward Hallowell, a Sudbury psychiatrist and author of the book "CrazyBusy." "They are doorways to something better, as opposed to something to be abhorred and eradicated immediately."


I wouldn't argue that we are doing our kids a favor by subjecting them to long hours of boredom, but I think there is a middle ground we should be shooting for. I do want my son to be able to tolerate a certain amound of boredom. I do want him to learn how to have a rich inner life and not count on the world to entertain him 24/7. I do want him to appreciate that life is about more than being productive and entertained. I worry that in our high tech, high stimulus, busy world that there is a genuine risk that a child will never have a chance to learn to genuinely entertain himself in his own mind.

I know, Kriston, that you are going to disagree with me on this because we have argued this point before. So let me just say that I think it's right and good to try to get a child into a situation where they are learning and being challenged for as much of the school day as possible and that a genuinely bored kid needs a change of situation. I just don't live in fear of being bored and I don't want my child to be either. If we panic every time a child is bored, I think we send the wrong signals about what their lives ought to be like.