Psychologist to parents: Allow your child time to be bored

"I don't know what to do!" Boredom can frustrate kids and set them whining. So should parents rush to the rescue? Absolutely not, says psychologist and author Rüdiger Maas, founding director of the Institute for Generation Research in Augsburg, Germany. The title of one of his books translates as "Happiness via Frustration: Why Boredom and Obstacles Make Our Children Strong." In an interview with dpa, Maas advises parents of bored kids to relax and take a wait-and-see approach. Why can boredom and frustration do kids good sometimes? Maas: Boredom is very important because it makes them creativ...