Eva Mendes Plans ‘Summer of Boredom’ for Her Kids for a Sweet Reason
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When it comes to entertaining her kids Esmeralda Amada, 7, and Amada Lee, 6, over the summer, Eva Mendes is taking a laidback approach. Namely — not doing it at all. The actress, who shares Esmeralda and Amada with partner Ryan Gosling, recently shared she plans on a “summer of boredom” for her two kids.
“I’m bringing boredom back!” she said in an interview with Byrdie on Wednesday. “I really feel like when we’re bored — not stimulated by a phone, or an iPad, or computer or television — that’s when ideas come in. Sometimes it’s fun, sometimes it’s dangerous, and sometimes it’s enlightening. I really want it to be the summer of boredom.”
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The Skura Style co-owner and brand ambassador explained that the family just got back from four months in London, where Gosling was filming. “It’s just so happy to be back in this summer vibe,” she told the outlet.
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Mendes continued, “Having a six- and a seven-year-old right now, I’m trying not to jam too many activities in a day. When we were in London, we went from musical to musical taking advantage of being back in the theater, we went to all kinds of museums, we went to Windsor Castle — I had a ton of field trips planned for them, which we did. And now I feel like it’s time to bring boredom back. I’m bringing boredom back, especially for kids, but for myself as well.”
She is definitely on to something! As a kid, I remember lazy days of entertaining myself outside, making up silly games with my siblings, or swimming at my grandma’s pool. I also spent time writing funny stories or using my dad’s video camera (it was the ’90s after all) to make videos with my friends. It was laidback and chill and helped me channel my creative side, so it’s easy to see why Mendes wants the same for her kids.
According to the Child Mind Institute, boredom teaches kids how to “manage our frustrations and regulate our emotions when things aren’t going our way.” It also helps children develop planning strategies, problem-solving skills, flexibility, and organizational skills, as well as fosters creativity, self-esteem, and original thinking.
“The key is to help kids learn how to manage their boredom so they can develop independence and feel agency over their own happiness and well-being,” Stephanie Lee, PsyD, director of the ADHD and Behavior Disorders Center at the Child Mind Institute, said in an article for the organization. A summer of boredom sounds like the perfect way to do this!
Mendes also explained that she is modeling self-confidence at home.
“I think everything starts in the home—everything,” she told Byrdie. “So hopefully Ryan and I are doing the work by just loving them, completely loving them, and doing most of that work for them so that they grow up feeling like they’re enough. That’s the one thing that’s really important to me. Because once they feel like they’re enough, no matter what they do, no matter what they end up doing, that will feed into every area of your life.”
Esmeralda and Amada are learning some valuable life lessons from their famous parents, and (hopefully) getting up to a lot of fun this summer.
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