American Kids

[LanJie]

I think that for most people physical fitness is not a concern and this attitude is past on to their children.

I got into shape when I was 13 because I did not like being a little chubby. I started lifting weights and jogging and gained muscle and lost weight.

I then started a few years later with a healthy diet and I have maintained it ever since.

I feel much happier being lean and muscular and I can take my shirt off in the summer and not feel embarrassed.

I have seen this lack of concern about physical fitness in adults as well. I know many former kung fu brothers and sisters that are at least 20-80 pounds overweight.

Good health requires a consistent healthy diet, consistent regular aerobic exercise, and consistent regular strength training but it is worth it.

A healthy strong body requires a lot work but it can become a good habit that parents develop and pass down to the children.

 

[chinto]

it all boils down to the parents! it is their responsibility to keep their kids healthy. we can encourage them, but the parents have the responsibility to make sure their kids from an early age, not only learn to use their brains but bodies too. that they are healthy and fit. its not societies job, its the parents job! this politically correct crap that some how every one is responsible is ridiculous! All we can do as some one who is not the parent is encourage the child and the parents to fix it.. but it all comes down to the parents and the child once they are in their teens.

 

[RedMonster]

Cant really go after the schools here. Even if they didnt cut PE programs the PE teacher couldnt make them do anything if they wanted. One whiny parent and the kids are back to sitting on bleachers watching videos about sports. If I were king it would be different. When I have kids their fitness will be on me.

Red

 

[Darth F.Takeda]

On a larger level this is part of the overall weakning of our colture.

When I was a kid and you got in a fight, when the teacher broke it up, they wanted to know "Who started it?" and that kid would get punished, you were allowed to stand up for yourself.
Then I moved to South Fla, and the rules were no fighting period, so if some little ghetto trash punched you in the face for no reason other than he did not like your face and you fought back, you were in the same trouble as he. (I did not mind suspension's)

This teaches the good kids to be weaklings and the lower class kids get even meaner.

Kids dont play outside as much either, their jacked into video games , the internet and TV. When I was a kid my folks would not let me in the house on nice days unless I was sick.

As for sports, many kids sport's programs aspie to give kids false self esteme. They wont let kids lose and by doing that they are setting them up for real problems.

P.E. needs to stay in schools and beyond that I feel that kids should do PT, on a easier scale than the Military, but they should start their school day doing a 30 minute group workout (with good program design so they dont do the same thing everyday.)

I hate all of this and I feel it's bad for our nation.

On the flip side, I am a personal trainer, so I get payed to help fix the problem, one person at a time.

As many of my boy's contemporaries are raised to be fat, weak little wimps, my boys will be lean, strong and centerd, so in the game of life they will slaughter their sheeple compitition.

A parents job is to prepare their kids for the world, coddling them wont do that, it sets them up to be sheep. You dont need to be the Great Santini about it, but a father should be a strict taskmaster and be consistant and more imprtantly,walk it like he talks it, be a good example and not a hypocrit.

Shugyo!

 

[YoungMan]

Kids are going to be a reflection of their parent's priorities. If parents do not place a premium of being physically fit and active, neither will the kids. It's that simple. If parents feel that McDonalds, Burger King, pizza, and Mountain Dew are a good substitute for healthy meals, either because of schedule or laziness, the kids will too.
It boils down to the parents have to establish that, regardless of work schedule or motivation, healthy eating and exercise must be priorities.
I would not expect my kids to practice martial arts if they don't want to, but I will expect them to practice healthy habits. Playing Madden 08 on the PS3 or World Cup Soccer on the Wii is no substitute for actually going outside and doing it.
If parents don't place emphasis on good habits, they will have kids who need cholesterol and diabetes medicine when they're 15.

 

[ChingChuan]

I wonder whether more PE classes will solve the problem? In the Netherlands, you're required to 'take' PE from first grade until you finish high school (so you'll take the subject between 12 and 14 years, depending on your level of education). As I've done grammar school, I've had 14 years worth of PE lessons, but I still can't do a proper push up, nor reach my toes. (I've trained Pencak Silat for two years now, and in the warming up there's quite some emphasis put on strengh & flexibility).

Of course, in our PE lessons we mostly played games (basketball, softball, volleyball, hockey etc.), gymnastics and athletics - so we didn't do the more specialized excercises like push ups, but I wasn't totally out of shape when I started doing martial arts.

So... Not all people who can't do push ups are overweight (I'm only 47 Kgs and 1.59 m long) or suffer from not excercising enough... I think that's a very important thing to keep in mind, as the topic seems geared a bit against the 'fat society'.

 

[DojangMom]

Kids dont play outside as much either, their jacked into video games , the internet and TV. When I was a kid my folks would not let me in the house on nice days unless I was sick.

Unfortunately, in today's world, it just isn't safe to send your kids out to run around town all day long the way we used to when we were kids. Mom or Dad has to be out there watching them, to make sure they're not abducted or abused or hit by a car or attacked by a stray dog or ..... But Mom and Dad have to work all day. Keeping them indoors is safer, and playing video games in their bedrooms (as opposed to running around the house playing pirates) is quieter and less messy.

I agree that ultimately it is up to the parents to teach their children about health and fitness. Lead by example. Be honest with your kids. I am quite obese (but working on it ), so I'm in the perfect position to explain and demonstrate to my son exactly why it's better to be fit and healthy (yes, he has watched me struggle and fail in class many times). So, when I say, "Have an apple instead of the cookies," he understands where I'm coming from, and doesn't think that I'm just being mean.

 

[FearlessFreep]

Unfortunately, in today's world, it just isn't safe to send your kids out to run around town all day long the way we used to when we were kids

Is that by statistics or by perception?

 

[jks9199]

Unfortunately, in today's world, it just isn't safe to send your kids out to run around town all day long the way we used to when we were kids. Mom or Dad has to be out there watching them, to make sure they're not abducted or abused or hit by a car or attacked by a stray dog or ..... But Mom and Dad have to work all day. Keeping them indoors is safer, and playing video games in their bedrooms (as opposed to running around the house playing pirates) is quieter and less messy.

Is that by statistics or by perception?

It's got to be by perception -- because the stats aren't there to support it.

 

[Steve]

I do have to admit that I myself am probably considered OBESE, I am 5'11 and my weight is approx. 215. According to the outdated height weight scale. I am supposed to be 165-170. SO I am almost 50 pounds overweight. I am capable of doing many things , I train in KungFu and my cardio does suck, but I have plenty of strength and fair flexibility. My problem was a desk job and eating **** food everyday and no excercise for almost a decade. I also smoked 1-1.5 packs of cigs a day. I started learning poor eating habits from my parents. My father eats great , but my mother eats horrible and I was lazy so I of course took the easy way and now have a horrible diet. I have tried eating so many "healthy" things, fruuits , fish , veggies etc..... I can't stadn the taste. .

Bowser, without getting into the rest of your post, this sounds exactly like where I was 18 months ago at age 36. I weighed 220 lbs at 5'10" tall. My Body Fat was ~25%, obese. I had smoked for 14 years, until 1998 when I quit. I ate like crap, had terrible cardio and didn't like eating healthy. I was also pre-diabetic with high cholesterol and on my way to an early heart attack.

Without trying to be preachy, you're approaching a crossroad and at some point it'll be too late.

 

[Steve]

On topic, forcing schools to serve actual food and to eliminate the kick backs that the school districts receive from Coke/Pepsi/Crap food vendors is a real start. I saw energy drinks being sold in machines at the local high school.

Many school districts are beginning to serve healthy foods, and to remove these junk food machines from the school grounds. A step in the right direction.

 

[Andrew Green]

Unfortunately, in today's world, it just isn't safe to send your kids out to run around town all day long the way we used to when we were kids.

The world hasn't changed, just the way it is presented by the news agencies.

Child abductions are almost always done by a family member or close family friend, not a stranger. I would suspect kids get hit by cars because they are sheltered from them and never learn to cross the street safely, always having had a parent or crossing guard stop them when it wasn't safe.

 

[Steve]

The world hasn't changed, just the way it is presented by the news agencies.

Child abductions are almost always done by a family member or close family friend, not a stranger. I would suspect kids get hit by cars because they are sheltered from them and never learn to cross the street safely, always having had a parent or crossing guard stop them when it wasn't safe.

In my neighborhood, kids get hit by cars because they're taught an unrealistic sense of entitlement, that they are more important than anyone else. I have had more than one discussion with a parent whose child is playing in the street without a lick of common sense.

 

[Andrew Green]

In my neighborhood, kids get hit by cars because they're taught an unrealistic sense of entitlement, that they are more important than anyone else. I have had more than one discussion with a parent whose child is playing in the street without a lick of common sense.

Exactly, teach them about cars being dangerous rather then teaching them mommy will always be there to protect them.

 

[DojangMom]

It's got to be by perception -- because the stats aren't there to support it.

I haven't seen stats either way on this one, so let's say it's just my perception. Be that as it may, as a parent, there is no way I'm letting my kids run loose through the neighborhood. At least, not until they've grown to be relatively responsible teens. I live in a fairly quiet neighbourhood, but there are still some "elements" I'm very leary about. We've had our fair share of front page news stories around here ... forgive me if I'd like to keep my kids from becoming one of them.

Back on topic, it does all come down to the almighty dollar, though, doesn't it? School budgets and cutbacks, profits being made from vending machines, parents having to work 2 or 3 jobs to make ends meet so there's no time to cook proper meals or actively play/work out with the kids... Is there a solution? If there is, it's going to take time to implement. No quick fixes here, I think. Do things have to get a lot worse before they get better? Probably, just like with any other societal issue we're facing these days.

 

[theletch1]

I have it a bit easier than you do Dojangmom. We live in the middle of an apple orchard and the only "elements" for me to worry about are critters and I can give my kid the boot. Truly, though, I like your approach with your kid. Lead by example. It takes a lot of courage to allow your child to see you fail at something. I applaud you for that.

As for the societal ill of obesity... is it just possible that humans are lazy as a general rule and the generation of parents that are out there now are from the "you can't touch me or I'll call CPS on you"? This combination would inevitably lead us to where we are now.
"Johnny, go outside and play."
"No. I don't wanna. I'd rather be a couch potato and play videos."

When I was a kid (if we'd had videos) I'd never have made that statement and if I had I'd have been whacked on the bottom and sent out anyway. Times change I suppose and not always for the better

 

[Phoenix44]

As for the societal ill of obesity... is it just possible that humans are lazy as a general rule and the generation of parents that are out there now are from the "you can't touch me or I'll call CPS on you"? This combination would inevitably lead us to where we are now.
"Johnny, go outside and play."
"No. I don't wanna. I'd rather be a couch potato and play videos."

When I was a kid (if we'd had videos) I'd never have made that statement and if I had I'd have been whacked on the bottom and sent out anyway. Times change I suppose and not always for the better

I don't know. I've never lifted a hand to either one of my kids, and they're both active and reasonably healthy. No means no, and when I tell you there's going to be a consequence, you can bank on it. I never saw the point in smacking my kids for the purpose of setting limits. I set limits on my son's video gaming, and if he exceeds them, the electricity goes off in the den. Period. (Plus, it really messes things up if he hasn't "saved" his game)

Besides, my son is way bigger than me...

 

[dungeonworks]

The world hasn't changed, just the way it is presented by the news agencies.

Child abductions are almost always done by a family member or close family friend, not a stranger. I would suspect kids get hit by cars because they are sheltered from them and never learn to cross the street safely, always having had a parent or crossing guard stop them when it wasn't safe.

I agree....and thanks for saving me some typing! LOL

It isn't more crime, it is more reporting of the same crimes. I seen some stats somewhere along the lines of news reporting is up in certain areas 1000% compared to back in the 70's and 80's. Violent civilian crimes (not including warcrimes in warzones) have been dropping as a trend since the early 1990's. The increase in news channels and daily news shows give a different perception of the reality the more we are plugged in to them.

 

[kidswarrior]

It's got to be by perception -- because the stats aren't there to support it.

I think it depends on where one lives. In my area, a lone kid or even a group of *good* kids can find themselves meat for the wrong pack. Been that way for awhile.

 

[kidswarrior]

I agree....and thanks for saving me some typing! LOL

It isn't more crime, it is more reporting of the same crimes. I seen some stats somewhere along the lines of news reporting is up in certain areas 1000% compared to back in the 70's and 80's. Violent civilian crimes (not including warcrimes in warzones) have been dropping as a trend since the early 1990's. The increase in news channels and daily news shows give a different perception of the reality the more we are plugged in to them.

While I agree with the gist of your post (more bad-news reporting), I'd have to say my perception is times have changed, too. When I was a teen (admittedly, long before the 90s ), if one of us lost a fist fight it was over. Often the guys become friendly later, or not, but it stayed one-on-one, and that was that. Now, it's never over. The loser's friends will jump in if they're there, or older relatives/homies may be recruited later. It can and sometimes does escalate to weapons. This just wasn't an option when I was a teen. And it wasn't for lack of weapons, it was due to a cultural norm.