Idle Hands: I’m Bored

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

Mick: So what? You like, knit now?
Anton: Randy broke it down for me. Idle hands is the devil’s playpen. So I’m thinking, you know, keep my hands occupied.
Mick: Nah man, that’s saying’s not…literal.

I’m BORED. If you’ve got kids, you’ve heard it. It’s the household equivalent of “Are we there yet?” And let’s be honest: it’s maddening, especially when they’re surrounded by all the toys, books, and art supplies you’ve curated at their disposal. Not to mention a chore list that’s still waiting to be done.

Recent findings reveal that boredom is a widespread experience among children. In a survey of 2,000 parents with children ages 3 to 12, the average time before boredom set in was just 33 minutes. Notably, 81% of parents reported that their children consistently sought new activities after returning home from school or daycare. Although this survey highlights a persistent need for engagement across age groups, it doesn’t tell the whole story.

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Double, Double, Toil and Trouble: Twin Identities

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

Aunt Agatha: I have Lynn!
Kelly Farmer: I’m Kelly!
Aunt Agatha: Oh, whoever. I have your sister! If you care about her, you’ll give yourself up now!

Twins are often seen as a packaged deal, especially if they are identical. You can’t say Mary-Kate without thinking about Ashley Olsen, or Tia and Tamara Mowry. Even my own twins are known at school simply as “the twins” or “H and K.”

Mix-ups and mistaken identities are common; and while they may seem harmless, these moments subtly shape how twins see themselves and relate to others. That’s why it’s so important for parents to recognize each twin as a unique individual, with their own personality, behavior, and strengths. This isn’t always easy as physical resemblance, emotional closeness, and family dynamic can make individuality harder to nurture. Factor in the reality that they’ve had a constant companion since the womb, and the journey toward individuality becomes even more layered.

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Don’t Scream, It’s just the Class Clown

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

Sidney: Stu, Stu, what’s your motive? Billy’s got one, the police are on their way, what are you gonna tell them?

Stu: “Peer pressure. I’m far too sensitive.”

Oh, Stu Macher. Not only was he part of the very first Ghostface duo, but he’s also the ultimate class clown. Loud, impulsive, and constantly cracking jokes, Stu masks chaos with charisma. But beneath the blood and comic relief lies something eerily familiar: The emotional blueprint of a kid who uses humor to connect, deflect, and survive.

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Our 40th Birthday Mammogram Mom Date

| Patti Webb
Post-appointment coffee date.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends starting routine mammograms at 40 years. Having turned 40 this year, that means we were due for our very first mammogram.

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Child(ish) Reads: This is So Awkward

| Patti Webb

It’s now October and we usually try to work in our fun, tongue-in-cheek tone throughout for Halloween. The book I picked out for today was an Advance Reader I got from NetGalley (again, tragically late for a review), and as Mary and I started talking about it, it became a little…scary.

This Is So Awkward: Modern Puberty Explained by Cara Natterson MD and Vanessa Kroll Bennett.

Here’s the blurb: Almost everything about puberty has changed since today’s adults went through it. It starts, on average, two years earlier and stretches through high school . . . and for some, beyond. Gens Z and Alpha are also contending with a whole host of thorny issues that parents didn’t experience in their own youth but nonetheless need to understand: everything from social media and easy-access pornography to gender identities and new or newly-potent drugs. Talking about any of this is like puberty itself: Awkward! But it’s also critical for the health, happiness, and safety of today’s kids.

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