SS~ FRAMEWORK PHYSIQUE #5 : CHILDREN OF THE COUCH
“I don’t want to go outside!” exclaimed Keith.
“You get one more hour and then iPads off.” said Sydney.
”Do we have to go walk after dinner mom?” questioned Mary.
-PPL’S CONVERSATION
Let's not beat around the bush here. Kids are truly not the same. Some may blame it on time while others may blame it on parenting. I may even think it’s cultural, but regardless one thing for sure kids… aren’t… the… same. The new handheld visionaries are defining “couch potato” at a whole new level. Diligent they are about their phone chargers, but little do they care about their joints. Focused they are when wearing their headsets, but they care very little about their core or grip strength. Small cardio-based games such as "freeze tag" or "hide-and-seek" have become almost extinct. There are still some sports fanatics around that play AAU or Pop Warner, but overall the street ball legends of the past are fading away. We can barely find kids that want to just stand out in the street or in the yard and just toss the old pigskin back and forth. But how do we bring back the hunger for sunshine and fun times?
Well, we must first be consistent about our own development. Imagination has taken a huge decline since the rise of social media. A Tik-Tok dance has placed way more children in motion than any opportunity to climb a tree. We must make being active just as popular. We have to "model" the behavior, we would like to see in them. It is of course our "role". The more active we are means the more time they spend with us doing active things. Thus in turn, the easier it will be to transition to their own freelance decision making. Let's be the role models and motivation for their activation. So once we get them going, how do we keep them going? Well, we must set a standard. JFK set a standard amongst boys and girls in 1962 that was golden. He believed that at minimum certain things like a 6 min mile run was a necessity. Performing handstands that could be held upwards of 45 seconds, doing 50 pushups, 32 pull-ups, and 52 dips a day was a must. Hell, he even believed a 2 mile swim was something every preteen to teen should have in their back pocket. With standards like this, no wonder segregation was ended and we set the foundation for the country we are today. We were happier and healthier. We were the change agents we seek. It started within us as a whole, so it manifested outside of us as a whole.
We are all entitled to free will and to do whatever we want whenever we want. Constantly we can make a better version of ourselves or wrap ourselves in illusions and distractions. These are facts just like our children becoming less and less creative and active. They are spending most of their days reenacting classic moments, of creativity from the past. The rest is spent creating thumbs of steel from video games and lower back problems from sitting for hours. All while watching videos of others play the SAME EXACT GAME. If we want change from a genuine place, we have to be that change. So let’s "model" the right "roles". Get active and stay active. Build a active family and lifestyle.
- We are the change we seek.
- Children are only as good as the standards they see.
Build a strong house and watch it become a home.