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Thursday, February 18, 2010

Kids don't need to be driven everywhere...

Kids don't need to be driven everywhere


Walking is one of the many things I do for therapy and to try to stay in shape.

On a recent walk past the Kapaa High School and elementary schools I was blown away at the traffic on Kawaihau Road. More than 30 cars were waiting to pick up kids from school. I saw no kids walking or biking home; they were all waiting for their chauffeurs (parents) to pick them up.

We have created a society of obese children who no longer get out and enjoy the freedoms of walking and biking to school. When I was a kid we walked three miles to and from school daily. It was refreshing, since our minds and bodies circulated before a day of learning.

Society wonders why there is so much teenage and childhood type 2 diabetes, which in previous generations was almost nonexistent. The reason is that parents think they are doing the right thing by driving their kids everywhere, when in essence they are creating laziness and obesity in many cases.

Parents, quit pampering your kids. Let them walk and bike and enjoy kid stuff. It will save you gas, money and time by not having to drive them to and from school every day and will make your kid feel energized along with a little independence

This blog was published in the  (09-15-12) edition of the Kauai garden Island news"Let them walk and give them wings..."



http://thegardenisland.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-for-saturday-september/article_39707cb6-ff8b-11e1-bacb-0019bb2963f4.html