Ep #7: Why are children always bored?
Hello and welcome! You're listening to the Byron English Podcast, your go-to resource for mastering the English language. Today we're going to talk about children, and why they are always so bored! It’s so difficult to entertain children.
Recently, I tried to show my nephew one of the all time classic films from the 80’s, Back To The Future. The problem was he found the film mind-numbingly boring. That’s a very popular expression you can use to say very, very boring. In fact, a lot of people find things mind-numbingly boring. I know many people who find their job mind-numbingly boring. You might even think my voice is mind-numbingly boring……
So, why are children today always so bored? Personally, I blame technology. Nowadays, children don’t need to wait more than 5 seconds to be entertained, because they can find everything they need on their phone or iPad. When it comes to entertainment, children are spoilt for choice. Spoilt for choice is an expression which means we have too many options available.
I don’t know which restaurant we should go to tonight, we’re really spoilt for choice, they all look amazing.
Children are spoilt for choice and that’s why they find 80’s films mind-numbingly boring. They don’t have the patience to watch a story slowly develop. They need changing camera angles, explosions and special effects. Anything that does not include these things is like watching paint dry, and that is one of my favourite expressions for being bored. It’s like watching paint dry. That lesson was like watching paint dry.
Have you ever been so bored that you’ve wanted to cry? Of course not, but that doesn’t mean we can’t use the expression, bored to tears. That film bored me to tears.
Anyway, back to the children. I’m sure if any of you are parents you will know that keeping children entertained is a thankless task, which means something that is hard work with very little reward. It is a thankless task.
As we come to the end of this episode, there is one thought that has occurred to me. Maybe I’m being too judgemental. Maybe I need to move with the times and stop being such a dinosaur.
Move with the times is an expression used to say we need to continue adapting and changing as the world changes around us. And yes, you’ve guessed it correctly, when we think someone is old or simply old-fashioned we can call them a dinosaur.
The question is, am I a dinosaur who needs to move with the times? Or is technology making our children boring?
That's a wrap for today's episode! Thank you for listening and don't forget to find us online at byronrome.com!
DA RICORDARE
In questo episodio vengono introdotti diversi modi di dire e concetti chiave:
Mind-numbingly boring: Un'espressione che descrive qualcosa di estremamente noioso.
Spoilt for choice: Una frase usata per indicare di avere troppe opzioni disponibili, tanto da rendere difficile scegliere.
Like watching paint dry: Un modo di dire per descrivere una situazione incredibilmente noiosa.
Bored to tears: Un'espressione usata per descrivere una noia estrema, tanto da voler piangere.
Thankless task: Un compito che richiede molto lavoro ma offre poca o nessuna gratificazione.
Move with the times: Un'espressione che significa adattarsi e cambiare in risposta ai cambiamenti del mondo intorno a noi.
Dinosaur: Un termine colloquiale usato per descrivere qualcuno considerato vecchio o antiquato.
