I posted almost exactly the same comment back in November. I think boredom and unstructured time without any parents around was one of the most important parts

I posted almost exactly the same comment back in November. I think boredom and unstructured time without any parents around was one of the most important parts of my own childhood. Kids are so good at entertaining themselves with basically nothing! Its uncomfortable for kids to be bored but they quickly learn the entertain themselves, especially when around other kids. Its actually kind of amazing. They never learn this skill if they aren't given the chance. Scott Adams (Dilbert guy) says that boredom is what gave him his creativity.