Have you ever thought about all the mixed messages we send our kids? Things like teaching them not to talk to strangers and then urging them to sit on the mall Santa’s lap and tell him what they want for Christmas. Or how about “respect your elders” and “stand up for what you believe in”? One of the issues I think we really send mixed messages about as a culture is physical activity. We tell our children we want them to be active and go outside and play, but then we are constantly telling them to sit and be still too!
I have never been a naturally “hyper” (that’s what it used to be called when I was a kid) person but I’ve been accused of it plenty of times. My temperament is actually pretty steady and easy-going, but I cannot sit still all day–or even for an hour or two at a time. I remember learning that I needed to prepare my preschoolers for “sitting still” so that they would be ready for formal schooling and I balked before they even got a chance to. I understand how hard it is to teach a class of squirming 6-year-olds–but 6-year-olds squirm–that is their natural state!
We want our children to be healthy, to move and be active, and to get out there in the world and “do things” right? Well, I think that sitting still and being sedentary is highly overrated, not to mention a confusing paradox to what we actually know is good for us. We KNOW that we are supposed to get off of the couch, out from in front of the computer, video games and television and move around. Active people are healthier, happier, and have a better time in life–and isn’t that what we want for our children after all?
See Also: How to Keep Your Kids Quiet in Church