Opprimo multi-negotium

In the distant past, I remember playing in the back yard, bored to tears and struggling to find something to keep me entertained. I was a single child with two teachers for parents, so I had to learn the masterful art of self-entertainment at an early age. Those long summer days seemed to me like time had the consistency of chilled molasses. It’s amazing how kids’ perspectives on the time when school is out are magnified, yet for adults, there’s never enough time in the day, which is a year-round misery. Being a parent tends to put an underscore on this vast difference in time availability as we often get assaulted by those innocently (or not so innocently) repetitive inquiries, “So what are we doing today, Mom/Dad?” or the ever faithful, whiny “I’m booooooored!” that sends panic up and down a parent’s spine. Thoughts of how much we can bend child labor laws admittedly do cross my mind when this happens.