Should you force kids to be active?

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kschwab0203
kschwab0203 Posts: 610 Member
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Should you force kids to play sports, play outside, exercise, etc?
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  • kschwab0203
    kschwab0203 Posts: 610 Member
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    Some kids are inherently more lazy than others regardless of the examples set for them.
  • TheRoadDog
    TheRoadDog Posts: 11,793 Member
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    kschwab0203 wrote: »
    Some kids are inherently more lazy than others regardless of the examples set for them.

    Gotta make it fun. Take your kids on hikes when they're younger. Bring a baseball and a couple mitts. Go hiking. When they are young, your kids want to spend time with you. Lots of fun , active things you can do with each other. Miniature golf. Frisbee. Kicking a soccer ball around. Playing catch with them.

    I guarantee they want to do these things with you and, as they get older and gravitate to a certain sport or discipline, you can encourage them and get involved. Take them to their games. Practice with them. Host team parties, whatever. It's fairly simple if YOU want to be involved with them to steer them away from sitting on their as s and getting involved.

  • kschwab0203
    kschwab0203 Posts: 610 Member
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    I definitely agree that parents need to be involved.

    What I am most concerned about is that it seems more common for parents to not think it's a problem that their child spends most of his/her free time playing on some kind of electronic device rather than being outside playing or involved in some kind of sport or extra curricular activity. I've seen it where some kids and parents actually look at their parents as being "mean" or "harmful" to them in some way by making them get up off their butts and move around.
  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
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    I force my kids to do some kind of activity - I don't pick what they have to do, but they have to choose something to do, sitting around doing nothing is not acceptable. My oldest did like every sport in the known universe and while he enjoyed them all, he never found one he loved. My middle is a runner, I don't even understand how anyone could like running much less absolutely love running, but he does. My youngest is a ballerina and she has been madly in love with it for 7 years now.

    Physical activity is crucial to developing balance and coordination as a child, which in turn are crucial to having a healthy productive life as an adult. I would not allow them to opt out of physical activity any more than I would let them opt out of going to school or opt out of going to the dentist.
  • Motorsheen
    Motorsheen Posts: 20,492 Member
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    kschwab0203 wrote: »
    Should you force kids to play sports, play outside, exercise, etc?

    yes.
  • kschwab0203
    kschwab0203 Posts: 610 Member
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    newmeadow wrote: »
    kschwab0203 wrote: »
    I definitely agree that parents need to be involved.

    What I am most concerned about is that it seems more common for parents to not think it's a problem that their child spends most of his/her free time playing on some kind of electronic device rather than being outside playing or involved in some kind of sport or extra curricular activity. I've seen it where some kids and parents actually look at their parents as being "mean" or "harmful" to them in some way by making them get up off their butts and move around.

    What? Who the heck gave the little brats electronic devices? That's just asking for trouble.

    I'm not opposed to them, but I don't think they should be abused.
  • melissaulmen
    melissaulmen Posts: 123 Member
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    Make it fun, and don't force it. I read a study on professional USA hockey players and it said that the vast majority of them had fun playing the sports when they were kids. It was not about winning, the practices were fun, and they choose to do it outside of practice because they enjoyed it.
    If they try multiple things they might find something they really enjoy.

  • RastaLousGirl
    RastaLousGirl Posts: 2,119 Member
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  • Motorsheen
    Motorsheen Posts: 20,492 Member
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    melissaulmen wrote: »

    It was not about winning]

    kids always keep score & everybody wants to win.

    some people want to win more than others, but kids keep score for a reason.





  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    Yes

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