BUILDING HEALTHY CHILDREN

Listening to 5AA recently, there was some discussion about children and their parents eating healthily and getting enough exercise.  Discussions revolved around family time constraints, weather events and other excuses to not walk the dog and call into Hungry Jacks on the way home, instead of cooking something at home.

I am 45 and spent my days growing up in the 1970's and 80's where us kids were never bored, eating Hungry Jacks, Macca's or even a pizza was a treat.  Usually we would have fish or chicken & chips about once a fortnight on payday.  The remaining 13 nights my mum would cook tea and she also worked full time as a school teacher.

The reason parents these days are time poor is (in their words) because they work, then they pick the kids up take them to sport practice or other things and by the time they get home they do not feel like cooking as it is about 7 or 7.30pm, so it's easier to call in and get takeaway.

Parents these days are too over protective and believe that if they leave their children to walk home or ride home on their own, something might happen.  Well it might.  Our lives are full of 'What if's', from the time we a born through to death.  There is no more paedophiles and creeps around today as there were in 1975.  The difference is that it is reported much more than 40 years ago, so it seems like its worse.  Some of the most infamous child abduction cases in Adelaide go back to the 60's and early 70's and also Richard Kelvin in the early 80's.

When I was growing up my parents did not have a mobile phone to constantly keep track of me.  My friends and I would head off on our bikes or go to the oval and not come home until the street lights came on.  We cannot wrap our children in cotton wool 'for their protection' because we end up breeding teenagers and adults who have no self confidence once they leave school and begin to enter the workforce.  Mummy and Daddy cant be with them all day to wipe their noses.

If little Johnny or Mary-ann has footy or netball practice after school, give them the freedom to get themselves there and home again.  Rain, hail or shine.  It helps build their confidence.  The added benefits these days are mobile phones, so if anything did happen you have a chance to make contact.  Allowing your children this freedom, then allows the parents to get back to keeping a home and preparing decent meals for the entire family.

Well that's my view.