Children need empty, quiet time with the TV turned off if they are to learn to use their imaginations

How rich is your child's inner world? Can he or she write an original story that doesn't copy a story from TV?

A study at the University of East Anglia found that very few children can. Most are so stimulated all the time that they haven't learned to entertain themselves through their own imaginations.

When children whine, "I'm bored", parents often go rushing to do something about it.

We parents feel guilty if our children's lives aren't packed with extracurricular activities. Well, stop entertaining them. Children need empty, quiet time with the TV turned off if they

are to learn to use their imaginations.

Think of the artists who have created lyrics, drawings and poetry during long spells in bed as weak or unwell children.

Joni Mitchell and Andy Warhol are two examples. Another is Mattie Stepanek, an 11-year-old American poet with severe muscular dystrophy whose book, Journey Through Heartsongs, has topped the New York Times bestseller list. In Ireland we've had Christopher Nolan and Christy Brown.

While no one would wish illness on a child, we can learn from the lives of such creative people who, deprived of sufficient external stimulation, created rich inner worlds.