The Most Dangerous Phrase a Lubbock Kid Could Say During the Summer

When I was a kid, summer vacation in Lubbock meant three glorious months of freedom. No obnoxious alarm clocks. No teachers. No boring homework assignments. Just endless days of cartoons, riding bikes, playing in the sprinklers, and finding creative ways to pass the time with friends.

There was one phrase that most of us learned to avoid at all costs.

It literally only took two little words to turn my badass summer day into a total nightmare.

"I'm bored."

The moment I uttered these words, my summer fun was officially canceled.

Mom Suddenly Had Plenty of Ideas

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Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

A few moments prior, my mom would have been relaxing on the couch, watching Days of Our Lives with a glass of iced tea, minding her own business.

The second I announced boredom, she somehow came up with a laundry list of chores that seemed to be waiting for that exact moment.

Next thing I knew, I was:

• Pulling weeds
• Cleaning toilets
• Organizing my closet
• Bagging up old clothes for Goodwill
• Sweeping out the garage
• Dusting fan blades
• Mopping the kitchen

I'd go from "nothing to do" to "doing way too much and hating my life" in record time.

The Reading Punishment

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Photo by Michał Parzuchowski on Unsplash

Like many moms out there, mine also threatened me with reading during the summer.

And, look, there's nothing wrong with reading. In fact, I'm a big reader myself. But when you're 10 years old, and everyone else is swimming and playing at the park, sitting down to read sounded like a death sentence.

I became an accidental reader, thanks to summer punishment from my mom.

Read More: Unexpected Gardening Successes And Challenges In Lubbock

The Outdoor Solution

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Photo by Hunter Johnson on Unsplash

Maybe your mom didn't force books on you. Some mothers believe boredom can also be cured by sunshine...on the hottest day of the summer.

"Go outside."

9 times out of 10, no other instructions were provided.

I was expected to go outside and invent something to entertain myself with until I was invited to come back in again.

Most of the time, I figured it out. Some days, though, I just sweated, knocked on the door, and begged to come back, for whatever excuse I could come up with.

"I have to potty....again...!"

She wasn't buying that one for long. My third attempt at bathroom air conditioning in one hour was typically her breaking point.

The Real Lesson Here?

If you grew up around here, chances are, you grew up telling your parents anything at all before telling them you were bored. You'd just swallow that boredom and find something else to do. You might have even excused yourself from the room before yawning in front of them. I sure did.

At any moment, Mom was ready to hand out a list of stuff to do to cure that boredom quickly, and most of the time, it involved reorganizing a junk drawer that hadn't been opened since 1987.

This is probably why an entire generation of West Texas kids learned to suffer in silence.

I'll catch you guys in the lobby before therapy sessions next week!

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