The point is we should not worry about mother nature and what she will do as much as what we as parents need to do to help her. I watch in the stores as grown ups push around grocery carts with from 1- 4 kids in tow and the carts are full of snack foods, pops, candy and whatever. Hardly ever any vegetables, fruit or other healthy food. Too, too much salt, sugar and additives for the kids to be eating. The word 'NO" in a grocery aisle and sticking to it is a secret gift to a child.
Now there is little if anything I have ever agreed on with the Obama's. BUT, I will agree with Ms. Obama on the need to take better care of the diets/ exercise for the little ones. When I see a Mom or Dad with a whole lot of extra weight at 30- 35 or younger, it is a good bet that little rotund kid with them is not going to get skinny later in life if some things are not done to help them. I am not going to get into how large so many are in this area, as if Adults, they are making their own beds so to speak. For so many years up in the Northwest, I was the "big boy on the block" at 225-240. I would be made fun of because I was so "fat". But when they needed someone to unload a 40' trailer full of 50- 60 thousand pounds of Hollow Metal frame parts and doors, guess who they came too for getting the job done to avoid demurrage charges? I could unload it by hand in 3-4 hours depending on how many doors were in the shipment. Here, I am a runt and have been surprised so many times when I see people who dwarf me in stature.
In any case, where I am going with this is the comment in the Column that goes like this "Or, consider the suggestion on physical activity. While it may, indeed, be possible to encourage kids to get 60 minutes of physical activity daily, the following is less realistic for many families".
It than goes on with "To increase physical activity, today's children need safe routes to walk and bike ride to school, parks, playgrounds and community centers where they can play after school and activities like sports, dance or fitness programs that are exciting and challenging enough to keep them engaged".
And here was the fanny buster " So much of what the Obama administration has attempted to put in place has focused as unrealistic timelines for future goals, while ignoring the realities of the present- those who fall behind are expendable. The parent of kids in West Virginia, Ohio and other states may indeed need a little help in keeping their kids healthy and fit. But as the numbers bear out, the kind of help offered by the Executive Branch has been no help at all". To me, those kids are for damn sure not expendable.
Now I am not going to get into the guidelines that may have been put forth. We have the Elite's who can do what they want when they want; and those who are struggling with both parents or maybe only one in a household working to keep it together. I am not arguing those issues.
What is truly sad, is that the people in Vienna voted down the chance to get the above for their kids: "To increase physical activity, today's children need safe routes to walk and bike ride to school, parks, playgrounds and community centers where they can play after school and activities". These are basically called sidewalks and biking routes. The people in Vienna said "NO" to a sidewalk on at least one side of each street that had none at this time. It was preferred the kids and even the adults walk down the street and hope no one runs over them. This could be considered to be a "stupid" choice? It is okay to throw hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars away on items with limited or very questionable value; but the safety and access for the most vulnerable- the kids, is not worth any effort?
At my point in life, I am seldom shocked; maybe a bit surprised, but this mentality has left me wondering just what the parents of today are really thinking about? Public Safety is sure not a big issue for the kids in their minds?
I am not looking to bust any ones (fill in the blank), but am saying what the Hell are you folks thinking? It is not that the kids are in ultimate danger every moment. We had perverts when I was little and we still played outside and did "normal" things. I know today if left alone, the tykes will gravitate to the little machine that makes the pictures shoot, knife, club and kill each other. But that is again the failure of the adults to learn to say "NO" to them. It is a proven fact that children want guidance and direction in their lives. Why do you think they are learning so many bad things on the corners? Because that is what is being taught there if no one says something more truthful to them about where their lives should go in the home? Maybe two generations of "I will do whatever I want" has finally finished off the futures of so many of the kids into a third generation of no direction to get fit and improve the minds. They can and do go together. In a sport, every kid gets to play should over ride "we gotta win".
I just was advised that the Basketball League for a local Church is a separate entity from the Vienna Rec program that is partially funded by the City. By that before someone calls me a liar, I am referring too facilities, uniforms, some money for such as the start up of the Lacrosse teams last year and so on. But why does a Church need to start a program if the Rec one is viable? I know, I have been told the Baseball part is a disaster with only a few teams and the games are played away. This info from just the last 15- 20 days as a matter of fact per a Coach or who said he was? The City likes to do everything for everybody but seems some are poorly accomplished? Maybe instead of constant expansion of Leagues, a need to do away with some that are non performing and put those resources into the successful ones? If the parents can not or will not support the sport, then it is not viable. I am not saying that every parent MUST do something, but there is a need for more than just a small handful to carry the water buckets for everyone. A couple of hours on a given day to help with if nothing else the equipment or mark a field for play/ practice would be a help. Not doing ALL of it, but teaching the tykes some responsibility by YOU, a parent being there with your tyke. The kids can and will learn by example. Surprise them with good ones from healthy food to fitness efforts !! 'nuff said'.