Fitness Experts: "Don't Let Kids Hibernate"

I was the admitted bookworm and as I grew older I hated going outside to play in the summer in the heat and the sun, but if it snowed you couldn't keep me inside. I made little paths in the back yard and pretended they were roads to different places and tramped over to my godmother's house or across the street to the field. I didn't have a sled or skates, but loved walking in the snow. I'd even beg my mom to send me to the store on an errand! Every kid in town was out when it snowed, coasting or sliding on the ice.

I laughed seriously at this line: "If you think it's too cold outside, Adams and other pediatricians suggest taking kids to swim in an indoor pool, play indoor team sports such as volleyball or take up individual pursuits like karate." It was never too cold for us. We walked to school in weather that sometimes crashed under zero Fahrenheit—and the girls were in dresses; we weren't allowed to wear pants! Most of our parents couldn't afford to join anywhere that had an indoor pool or gave lessons. We made our own fun—and, I'm sorry, IMHO, we enjoyed ourselves a lot more. Who wanted parents making the rules and telling us what to do and everything being so structured? Some boys were in Little League or Peewee Football and a few of the girls took dancing lessons, but when we played, we wanted to be left on our own. The more I hear about kids growing up today the more I'm glad I'm not doing it myself now.

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. . . . . noted and logged by Linda at 8:37:00 AM

Comments:

I just don't get this business abut it being "too cold to go outside" either. When I was a kid there was no such thing as a "snow day" which meant that if it was -40 you went to school, and usually you walked (schools here tend to be fairly close together) at least until you were old enough to have your own license, and even then. And while there were times when it was too cold to go outside at school for the 15 minutes we got for recess, that usually only happened in January and February.

# posted by  Brent McKee : 1:54:00 PM

 

How ridiculous is it that school gets cancelled at the slightest hint of snow. You are right Linda - we went to school in practically any kind of weather. I can remember standing at the corner with the other children waiting for the bus (for high school, for grade school we walked) and the tops of my legs would be chapped from the cold (dresses or skirts and knee socks were worn). AND, correct me if I am wrong, but it seemed to snow SO MUCH MORE than it does now. Happy New Year to you and James.

# posted by  Anonymous : 9:46:00 AM

 

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