Back when I was growing up every day we played outside for hours.  My father actually used to close and lock the door - no matter what the weather - and we'd have to keep moving because we didn't have all the new-fangled fancy clothing and shoes or boots to keep us warm.  If it was wintertime we would stick pieces of plastic sheeting inside our shoes and just accept the cold.  We usually sledded on plastic sheeting or on the handle-less lids off of metal trashcans.  In the fall we'd gather hundreds of acorns and sticks and launch attacks on each other - wielding the same old abused trash can lids as shields.  Practically every kid in the neighborhood would be out like this, roaming around playing pickup games of tag or war, staging races down the street, exploring the creek and its surrounding woods, wading in the water trying to catch tadpoles and minnows. 

I don't remember there being any fat kids in my neighborhood. 

Nowadays they're all inside, sitting in front of computer screens and TVs playing endless video games and chatting ad nauseum on the computer or with Twitter.  No one ever just sends their kids outside anymore.  No, we plan their activities with organized games of baseball, soccer, and football - everything regulated by adults everywhere - and spontaneity seems to be out of the question.  If little Johnny doesn't like getting sweaty or hot his parents will often let him substitute something less challenging.  When I was an assistant Boy Scoutmaster it was ridiculous how a sedentary, overweight woman like me could actually out-hike 13 year olds who huffed and puffed their way through flat-terrained five mile hikes, often complaining bitterly about the onerousness of it all and demanding that we stop to rest.

We are raising a nation of soda-chugging, cookie-munching, chip-dipping snackers and over-indulgers, afraid to walk out their door and turn over a few rocks in their back yards or the woods near their homes to see what they can find, incapable or even dissuaded from finding something physical and spontaneous and challenging to do. 

Other than that I can't possibly see what the problem is here.

Last edited by MarineAuntie (2009-11-04 17:39:38)

Those times are not completely gone!!  Some if us parents still promote physical activities outdoors!!  It might not be the norm now, but it is done!  My son can out do his classmates in push-ups, crunches, pull-ups, running, etc. He even beat some of the football players in a running race!!  He was shocked that they weren't more fit.   It is sad for those children who have parents that place them in front of the TV or video games...................I call that poor parenting!!  Reading is also good, but the physical is more important for good health.   I also put a time limit on video games/TV.  So many parents appear to be lazy in giving their kids ethics and morals.  Just saying..........(I bet that most of the "heavy kids" do not have a Veteran for a parent)   

Last edited by Judith Plis (2009-11-04 19:36:12)

Judith Plis wrote:

Those times are not completely gone!!  Some if us parents still promote physical activities outdoors!!  It might not be the norm now, but it is done!  My son can out do his classmates in push-ups, crunches, pull-ups, running, etc. He even beat some of the football players in a running race!!  He was shocked that they weren't more fit.   It is sad for those children who have parents that place them in front of the TV or video games...................I call that poor parenting!!  Reading is also good, but the physical is more important for good health.   I also put a time limit on video games/TV.  So many parents appear to be lazy in giving their kids ethics and morals.  Just saying..........(I bet that most of the "heavy kids" do not have a Veteran for a parent)http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-sport013.gifhttp://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-sport011.gifhttp://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-sport014.gif    http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-sport004.gif

Judith, I like the way you put "still promote physical activities outdoors".  In our case it was more of a necessity.

Doing the annual acrobatic activities of scaling the tiers of a tobacco barn or throwing around 60 - 80 lbs hay bales for 9 -10 hours a day and them performing the twice daily milking chores and all associated activity seem to pale in comparison.  And not to mention if you wanted to stay warm at night you  chopped wood or brought in the coal.

I entered basic in Oct of 66 and was lucky enough to get the mid cycle Christmas break in Dec of the same year.  I was a little taken back when I was told at the ripe old age of 18 that the Army was making me soft.

Somewhere along the lines in the 80's we went through a period of MOS based physical training where we trained at what we would actually do if the big, big balloon actually went up.  Things like humping equivalent weights of tactical ammo or throwing around cases of supplies to construct pallets etc.  Some of the warfighters determined this was not effective physical training and opted for running instead.   So yeah we reinvented the wheel so to speak but no one understood how come loggies were no longer maxing PT tests.

we were outside most off the time cause all we had was a radio and the only time it was one was for a couple of hours at night, did see my first TV until 1958 and then we had to go down to my grandmothers house to watch good old ED SULIVAN SHOW, got to the point i didnt even like it, so out side i went, and in my own opinion, most of the kids now days dont play out side cause the perants are afraid that they might come in contact with a germ or two, during the summer can remember going out into the garden and pulling up carrots and brushing the dirt off  of them an eating it and usually manage to eat some dirt with it, and like it was said we stay out until mom called us the third of fourth time and by then it was our full name, and the old saying DONT MAKE ME COME AND GET YOU, when that was said you had better head for the house, cause if you didnt look out the old razor strap came off the wall.