I don't think I've ever been as angry as I was today while reading the local paper. On the front page of the newspaper today, the headline read “Should kids take cholesterol drugs?” The article goes on to say children as young as eight may be given cholesterol-fighting drugs to ward off future problems. Am I the only one that this concerns? Why would any sane person put a child on a medicine for the rest of their life without making an all out effort to target the issue? Many of our children are obese and inactive - there is no nice way to say it.
Unfortunately, our changing lifestyles, safety concerns, and other events have contributed to our children putting on weight. There are no if’s, and’s, or but’s about it – our kids need to get off their butts and get active. But we all know that they are not going to do it on their own. Why should they? The TV is playing their favorite show. They got a new game for their X-Box system. There are always a million and one excuses for all of us, not just children, to not get the exercise we need.
Please don’t tell your child, “You’re fat.” That has to be the absolute worst thing a child can hear from a parent or another trusted grown up. What a parent says to their child can have lasting effects so think twice before you say something to that little one that you really shouldn’t have said.
Children though are easier to get active than adults because children want to please their parents and really like to be active. The best way to get your child active is for you and the family to be active. There are many outdoor toys that can help but you really don’t have to spend a dime if you don’t want too.
Think about the many games you played when you were a child. The ones that come to mind for me are tag, bull rush, kill the carrier, kickball and many more. When I was a child, we couldn’t wait for school to be over during the week or for breakfast to be over during the summer or on the weekend so that we could get outside and play with our friends.
We also had great toys like scooters, ride on cars, pedal cars, pool toys and many other fun, activity toys to play with either with friends or by ourselves. We didn’t go in until the street lights came on. Also, in case you’re wondering, I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. Yes, parents were concerned, but every mother and father in the neighborhood kept an eye on not only their child, but the neighbor’s children too. Let’s all get outside and play – not only for our children, but for ourselves too. Watch the kids you'll attract just by playing with some outdoor toys with your children.
Denise, NewCoolToysOnline.com
