Ryan’s Song – Idle Hands

Not long ago, my wife and I decided to pull our youngest son, Ryan, out of high school.  The reasons are many, but suffice it to say, it wasn’t doing him much good, nor he it.  So now he’s being home-schooled by yours truly and watched like the proverbial hawk.  He seems to be with the understanding now that his prior actions weren’t leading him anywhere positive and he’s embraced a new line of thinking.  He’s gone so far as to change his hairstyle and his dress – he’s gone from looking like his last name should be “Munster” to someone you’d expect to see in grad school.  His mother and I couldn’t be happier.  With that, I’ll let Ryan himself give you a peek at his new way of thinking:

Boredom, the quintessential cause of most teenage trouble-making.  Boredom can be a nuisance at best and a danger at worst.  However measures can be taken to avoid this potential hazard, and these measures aren't difficult to take.  Of the things that I do to stay out of trouble, some of them include playing video games, playing my guitar, and hanging out with my father.  On the other hand, some of the things that I used to do in boredom, were light fires, get involved with drugs/alcohol/and cigarettes, and cause general chaos... just ask my parents.

Let's start with boredom itself.  Everybody experiences boredom on a regular basis.  However, problems occur when you have too much time on your hands and thoughts of mischief flow unceasingly through your mind.  Welcome to the brain of this teenage boy.    

Before I actually started to pay attention to the problems I was causing due to my constant boredom, lack of structure, and lack of conscience, I would go out with friends and indulge in illegal substances, set off homemade explosives, set fires, and many more unlawful acts... which as I'm sure you can imagine caused a great deal of trouble for me with the law (not to mention my parents) on more than a few occasions.  It was only recently, however, that I came to terms with the fact that I need to eliminate the mind-set of "what are the odds of getting caught?” and start circulating the mind-set of "what could happen if I do get caught?”

So with this new ideal flowing through my brain, I looked for alternate sources of amusement.  Around 3 years ago my parents bought me a guitar for Christmas.  A real low-end guitar, only $100, but nonetheless a trial guitar to see if I would actually take to playing or just cast it aside as just another phase.  My father was initially against the idea of getting this instrument because he (like most parents would) believed that I would try it for a few weeks, maybe even a month or two, and then never touch it again because it's too difficult to learn.  My father, I can proudly say, was incorrect.  I taught myself how to play from the very beginning, and haven't stopped since.  The guitar, however, is only one of my passions.

Another is gaming; specifically on my Xbox 360.  Last summer I got a job at my school cleaning classrooms and preparing for the next session (something I’d encourage any teen to do, it's great for a first job).  I was working 40-hour weeks for only $6 an hour... but hey, it’s a first job, no complaints.  I had to wait 3 weeks to get my first paycheck but when I finally got my hands on the money, I was ecstatic.  I went to the local Wal-Mart and searched out the $400 piece of equipment for which I longed and purchased it using the money I had earned myself.  Ever since, I have not gone for more than a couple of days without using this playing one game or another.  It has the capability to connect to the Internet which allows you to connect and even speak to gamers all over the globe, which is quite amazing in my opinion.  The first game I purchased was Guitar Hero 2, a very popular game at the time.  Being a guitarist already, I loved the game since the first time I laid fingers on it – it was the main reason I wanted the Xbox console so badly.

However, I would hate to have you think that all I ever do is sit around at home all the time, playing video games and not doing much of anything else.  In addition to my home-schooling, I spend a great deal of my time outdoors going on hikes, mountain biking, playing tennis and basketball, as well as many other activities with my father.  Although my father and I do play video games with each other, most of the time we are outside making good use of sunny days and good health.  I’m also looking for a part-time job since I don’t spend 6 hours per day learning now – only about 2 or 3.

Ever since I left the high school that I was attending, I have been with my father nearly 24/7 because he is fortunate enough to operate his business out of our home.  You may find it surprising that I enjoy the constant time I spend with him.  At this time we have several renovation projects that we are working on in our house and that is where we spend a large portion of the day.  He is teaching me to drive now and that’s always an enjoyable experience... when he's not telling me to slow down or use my directional.  So the time I spend with my father is more than the time I spend playing my video games or playing my guitar and he won’t let me become bored.

So boredom is no longer a problem for me and I find it easy now to stay out of trouble.  If I'm not playing video games, I'll either be playing my guitar or doing something with my father.  I try to keep myself busy so that old habits don't come back and force themselves into my head again.  Like the old saying goes, "Idle hands are the devil's playground.”  Good thing the devil can't utilize my hands when they’re holding a game controller, the neck of a guitar or a tennis racket.  Boredom will always be a problem with teens and adults alike, but keep in mind that it doesn't have to influence you.  Control your boredom, don't let your boredom control you.