Meaningful Work
How to Escape the Entertainment Trap
Last week’s post on The Entertainment Trap struck a chord—largely, I suspect, because it contained the single piece of parenting advice that saves me every time… if only I remember to use it.
An unhappy (or misbehaving) child is usually a child who needs a job.
I made a sign and hung it on our art wall.
Most of us agree this is sensible. No one is advocating a return to Dickensian child labor (chimneys remain child-free), but it does sometimes feel as though the pendulum has swung so far in the opposite direction that children grow up with the vague but powerful idea that life owes them constant fun—and that boredom is an emergency requiring immediate adult intervention.
This, I think, does them no favors.
Children need to feel that they contribute meaningfully to a family. Contribution gives them confidence. It gives them belonging. It gives them dignity. It turns them from consumers of family life into participants.
This was driven home for me recently by one of the most magical experiences of the season: my children’s school Christmas Shop. Each child is given a small amount of money. They make a list of family members and think carefully about what each person loves. Then they shop independently for modest gifts—most costing between one and five dollars.
What they gain is extraordinary: budgeting, patience, thoughtfulness, independence. And now—miraculously—they are more excited about Christmas than ever, not because of what they might receive, but because of what they are giving.
So yes. We agree. Meaningful work is good.
And yet—I find it bizarrely hard to remember.
I think this is because I, like many of us, have been deeply marinated in the culture of the entertainment trap. The reflex to distract, soothe, amuse, and fix—immediately—is strong.
So this is a follow-up. For myself, and for all the mothers, fathers, grandparents, and assorted grown-ups who find themselves in charge of children. What follows are practical prompts, scripts, and ideas for meaningful work, organized by room and rhythm of the day. At the end, a small reading list—because books are excellent allies in any philosophical shift.
Prompts & Scripts That Actually Work
Teamwork
“Many hands make light work.”
“Let’s tackle this together—you sort the silverware, I’ll put away the plates.”
