As a parent, it’s frustrating to no end.
You come home from work and see your child on the computer playing “Animal Jam” or some other addictive game.
You tell them to get off, and you get an argument. You try to persuade them to do something more constructive, and you get more whining. You suggest they go outside and play, but all you get is, “just a sec.”
After a countdown, they finally unglue their eyes from the monitor and disappear. Two minutes later you find them sitting in their room playing with the iPad.
You now have two options – give up or blow up. The latter may give you instant satisfaction, but will make you feel bad later. And the former only solidifies the problem with kids severely lacking in physical activity.
In fact, the 2014 Active Healthy Kids Canada report card gives this country a D minus in this category.
According to the report, only seven per cent of kids ages 5-11 are meeting the physical activity guidelines, and when they reach 12-17, only four per cent are meeting the standards. Hello obesity and poor health!
Our children are sitting more and moving less in our culture of convenience.
Sixty-two per cent of Canadian parents say their kids (ages 5-17) are always driven to and from school.
Eighty-two per cent of parents agree that the education system should place more importance on providing quality physical education. And while 80 per cent of parents contribute financially to their kids’ physical activities, only 37 per cent often play actively with their children.
The report cited a study in New Zealand, where researchers created a media storm with preliminary reports of a study looking at ways to encourage active play in children. When four elementary schools banned all safety-based playground rules, not only did the students get more active, administrators reported an immediate drop in bullying, vandalism and injuries.
In some cases, we need to step back and do less, giving children room to move.
Kids need moderate to vigorous activity every day, but many have fallen victim to the electronic age that lulls them into a sedentary lifestyle, which isn’t healthy.
Many parents are letting their kids be hijacked by the computer age, and they too become complacent about promoting physical activity.
The warning signs are all there, and we just need to break the spell. Plan more family bike rides, hikes and touch football games after dinner. Do whatever it takes to get your children active and off those blasted devices.
You’ll be doing them a big favour.
Lyonel Doherty
Editor
