Is it just me, or does anyone else think it weird that 4 or 5 year old kids are in strollers?

[TomInTib]

I see it every day, several times a day.

This practice cannot bode well for the health and motor skills of these kids.

Most of them I see are in double or triple strollers with younger siblings.

Does anyone here have any thoughts on this practice?

on edit, I might add that a lot of these children act very immature.

[havocmom]

1. It's weird that some of them are in disposable underpants still at that age

[HuckleB]

57. I doubt any kid is in disposable underpants at that age for "convenience."

Some kids don't figure out potty training as fast as others, and some kids have developmental delays, as well.

[Goblinmonger]

62. My daughter wasn't potty trained

until she was almost five. My mom was over when my daughter was 2 and freaked her out about having and "accident" so my daughter wouldn't go anymore. She could hold it, sit on the toilet when she had to go, but she HAD to go in a pullup. Then she would change herself. God that sucked.

As to kharma, my son got a package of Barney underwear when he turned two from his (other) grandma. He said he wanted to wear them. We told him that he would be to go in the big potty. He said OK. Went in the toilet from that point on. Never had an accident.

[NC_Nurse]

2. I've seen it too. Could be they

have problems that are not obvious to you. But I agree, normal kids should be oput of a stroller by then.

[TomInTib]

9. I am pretty good at recognizing "problems".

The ones I am talking about seem normal in every way except for the stroller aspect.

[NC_Nurse]

13. Weird. I wonder what it's about?

Who wants to push a stroller any longer than they have to. What a pain.
My kids didn't want to be in it. As soon as they could keep up, they were outta there.

[TomInTib]

22. I forgot to add that most of these older kids act really immature.

A lot of thumb-sucking and bottles.

At first I thought I was misjudging their age(s).

But you take three siblings, and the youngest is already talking.

Hell, my kids were riding bikes and playing baseball at five. A stroller was something you put your brother into and run him into a tree.

[fed-up]

27. now why didn't I ever think of that lol (I'm 3rd girl, followed by 3 younger brothers) nt

[acmavm]

29. No, you took the obnoxious little snots to the top of the hill in the alley

between 26th & Capitol Avenue and Dodge Streets and let it go.

They all lived.

[TomInTib]

32. I forgot about eldest coaxing youngest to the top of the slide...

saying he would hold onto the handle of the stroller and walk down real slow.

Right.

[kiranon]

64. Autistic children often in strollers when older

My two autistic children are in strollers at ages 7 & 8 but they look like typical children. We use strollers when we go places they have not been before - amusement park, large crowd event - where they cannot handle the noise, number of people, other sensory issues. The stroller is a little bit of home for them where they feel safe and can handle the situation without a meltdown. When they are used to the situation, they can leave the stroller knowing it is available if they cannot continue without it. Then, we just use it to haul their stuff if they can walk about.

[rosesaylavee]

3. Ear marks of helicopter parents...

Hovering over their kids every move. Does not bode well for developing free thinking individuals.

[TheDebbieDee]

35. I found out a couple of years ago that I was a helicoptering

Mother.

But, fortunately, my daughters (in their early 20s) have turned out to be quite independent and mature. Thank goodness.

[rosesaylavee]

37. My tendency has been toward that too

but my husband gives me the 'look' and I know to reflect on what I just said or did. Sometimes he's even right. :)

My son is a fiercely independent guy - so we must have done something right there.

[hlthe2b]

4. hmm.. I've been seeing that more often too... I must admit...

I initially thought there was some development disability involved.. I'd hate to think it was just for the sake of convenience, though I recognize the challenge to the harried parent with multiple kids in tow.

[HuckleB]

58. Convenience is that main reason I am given by parents.

"It's the only way they can travel at adult speed," is an exact quote I was given by one. Umm. You had children, and they have to practice walking sometime. Actually, they should be doing it every day.

[Demeter]

5. Why Do You Think They Are 5 Year Olds?

My daughter was 3 ft tall at 18 months. At age 5 she wore size 10 and was looking much older than her age.

Between her North European genetics and the vitamins they make women take in pregnancy, kids are a lot bigger these days. The 5 lb baby is considered too small to go home from the hospital.

[TomInTib]

12. This is a consistent thing.

And when they have one or more siblings, you can pretty much guage the eldest's age.

[PDJane]

6. I've seen it a few times here........

I think it's assinine.

I don't get the training pants at that age either, or the bottles, or....

Reminds me of a very old, very bad joke...about a woman who watches a mother pushing her daughter through the mall in a wheelchair. The woman expresses sympathy to the mother over the fact that the child can't walk, and is told...

"Meh, Thank goodness, she doesn't have to."

(I told you it was a bad joke.)

[Maggie_May]

7. I know I saw this too

When my husband I went to Disney with my 8 year old we saw a lot of it. It kind of pissed me off to because on the way home we took the boat back of course it was when the park was closing. Well anyway they were letting the people with strollers board first which cause a lot of to wait while they few up in front of us. The ones that were left had to wait for the next boat. I really didn't care if they had babies but I saw 4 5 6 year olds in strollers. As they flew by with there strollers elderly and people holding 2 and 3 year olds because the fact they rented strollers at the park were left standing.

[momster]

17. Disney is Huge

I wouldn't want my 4 5 6 yr old walking that far -- 6 or 7 miles in a day (I've registered our average day there on a pedometer). Come on. I'm sorry you had to wait but that's Disney for you! Complain that they didn't put on enough boats/buses but don't blame the parents for not wanting to carry a whiny, crying or dead asleep 50 pound kid at the end of a long, long day. Personally, I also wouldn't take a 2 or 3 yr old to Disney but I'm not going to judge those that do -- unless they fail to put sunscreen on the kid. Then I'm judging!

Oh, and my girl was also extremely tall for her age...still is. People would give us dirty looks for letting her be a five year old when she was five but looked eight.

[Maggie_May]

21. When my other two were that age

4 and 5 they walked and yes they were tired and cranky but we had a great day. They walk the entire park from morning to night. Not judging either its there kids and how they wish to raise them is there issue. Both my oldest now are 18 and 19 and are in great shape and very athletic. I also do blame the park for the in convince of the wait but that life.

[momster]

49. Let's Clarify

I'm talking DisneyWorld. Are you talking Disneyland?

[sandnsea]

8. Moms are busier

And more sensitive to the fact that it's cruel to make a pre-schooler walk all over the place just because you have errands to run.

yeah, this is a real issue. :eyes:

[TomInTib]

14. Our town is definitely not an "errand" kind of place.

This is pure leisure.

[sandnsea]

18. Oh, they're on vacation?

And you wonder why moms are letting pre-schoolers sit instead of having to walk for hours on end?

Or you think upper class women don't have errands to run?

Or you just didn't think at all.

[TomInTib]

28. My kids were capable of walking for hours at five.

These are locals. They can get anywhere in town in ten minutes, walking.

Oh, I have been thinking about this for quite some time and just cannot fathom why parents would want to do this here.

And I am completely serious about getting anywhere in town in ten minutes.

And the only place to run 'errands' to here is the grocery store. We don't even have a gas station. Or a pharmacy.

[sandnsea]

34. So is it leisure or locals?

:shrug:

You keep changing exactly who it is doing the walking.

Maybe mom just wants an hour of calm and knows the kids enjoy a nice ride in the stroller.

Do you really need to put them down to feel superior about whatever lame parenting mistakes you made.

God this board is beyond pathetic some days.

[Colorado Progressive]

44. I feel the same way. LOOKing for something to bitch about. nt

[TomInTib]

46. "lame parenting mistakes"?

One of my sons is a professional baseball player and the other travels the planet as a percussionist with Carlos Santana.

Yeah, I pretty much sucked as a parent.

I should have let them suck their thumbs, cleared off all the horizontal surfaces in the house, locked the cabinets and put away the firearms, encouraged them to get that education that would make them prisoners in tall buildings with all the other products of navel-gazing softies.

Yeah, that's it.

[ellaydubya]

10. All the time here in the Park Cities in Dallas

The parents will be walking or jogging and the kids will be in their strollers- children way too big for a stroller. It is an utterly ridiculous and totally unhealthy practice. These parents have all their exercise gear on but don't think twice about what they are doing to their children's well-being. And when they cross the streets (This is very dangerous in Dallas with everyone on their phones!)they never look twice, putting their kids in danger of being run over by a car. It appears selfish and very self-centered. And these deluxe kid pushers are not cheap- maybe they just want to get their money's worth while they can still fit the kids in the strollers.

We rarely ever used a stroller when ours were young- our kids thought it was a cool toy to push each other around in. We let them walk.

[TomInTib]

15. "get their money's worth while they can still fit the kids in the strollers"

Hah!

I love it.

You know how those Park Cities parents can be....

[Colorado Progressive]

45. You made your own anti-point, the kids are safer in strollers from all the peeps on cell phones

driving blissfully in their Hummers. Walking along, a four year old, in traffic?

[proud2BlibKansan]

11. One of my pet peeves!

I posted about this in the lounge one time and haven't been back to the lounge much since.

So I wish you luck :)

Seriously, these kids need to be getting exercise and WALKING. But what really drives me nuts is dodging these mega strollers in public places. I honestly don't remember but I don't think my kids were in strollers much beyond the age when they started walking.

And how about those wagons that are as big as SUVs? And Mom and Dad pack everything the kid owns in the damn wagon. Those drive me battier than strollers.

[TomInTib]

19. You and me both, p2B.

We have one guy who jogs in the hills where I live and then comes down to our little Main Street and pushes the kids down the middle of the damned street, talking to them incessantly in a very loud voice.

"Did you see the nice doggie? Isn't that a pretty bird? Do you want to go to the candy store?"

Asking dumbass questions at warp speed and the kids never have a chance to answer.

And those big wagons? Don't even get me started...

[proud2BlibKansan]

38. DH and I are saving our money for a down payment on one of those!

We figure one of those wagons will be a lot more fun than a walker or a wheelchair when the time comes. And Seggways are still way too expensive.

[asjr]

16. I see 4 and 5 year old children

in strollers all the time. If you are out for a long day it is much easier on both child and mother. Mother knows exactly where the child is and feels safer. Too many children are getting snatched away these days. Having a child belted in a stroller would make me feel better.

[TomInTib]

20. Not in Tiburon.

We have the lowest small-town crime rate in the country.

[asjr]

24. Good for Tiburon.

[sandnsea]

25. Maybe because parents watch their kids

And have the means, and time, to raise them to not be hoodlums in their teens.

[durtee librul]

33. I'm with you Tom...

Pacifiers in the mouths of 2 and 3 year olds....bottles as well (baby, not the brown kind! LOL!!!)

And I KNOW I am going to get flamed for this, but tough....

I cannot fathom why kids have to have elbow pads, knee pads, helmets, etc to go on a friggin' bike ride. So they fall off and skin thier knees....we all did and guess what helicopter parents......WE'RE STILL HERE .... AND BOTH our LEGS WORK!!!!! WOW!!! Oh yeah and I would love to see the stats (and I am sure that someone in the DU will be MORE than happy to share...save it, I really don't care) on how many kids fall off a bike and have life threatening or ending injuries..and I am NOT talking about getting hit by a car..I am talking about a simple fall from a bike with a simple skinned knee that we usually brushed off, got back on and went on our way. It sure as hell didn't end up in an ER just to get a fancy bandaid...

Talk about taking all the spontenaity (sp) out of being a kid....kind of reminds me of my kids when I dressed them in their snowsuits and boots only to be told they had to go to the bathroom when I got the last boot buckled.

Anyway, Tom in Tib, kids SHOULD be walking. It's called exercise...something this country is sorely in need of. And to all you errand runners out there, I have one suggestion for you - use some of your stroller money to go to a 3rd world country and see how far those kids walk each day......it ain't gonna hurt them one little bit. It's just laziness on the parents part to not want to put up with a crabby kid. Deal with it - it's called parenting 101.

[Colorado Progressive]

43. I agree with you on the booboophobic padding of all visible....

but helmets I wont complain about. Americans look like idiots all padded up like morons, just to go for a leisurely bike ride. In Europe you see octogenarians riding their bikes all over, to the grocery store, etc. The difference is that there are no freepers in Dodge Rams on cell phones over there. The people that drive are in tiny cars that could be packed into many American's trunks. What the hell are parents in this country supposed to do? Thats also a huge reason why eco-friendly cars are harder to sell here.

[TomInTib]

47. Thank ya ma'am

So very well put.

Tom

[HuckleB]

56. Sorry, but irrational fears are not an excuse for your convenience.

Kids are not getting "snatched away" any more today than they ever were. Parenting isn't easy, but childhood obesity is a real problem, and this is likely adding to it.

[fed-up]

23. It may be a nanny or family day care provider pushing the strollers-easier to keep

track of charges if they are going to a park or somewhere else.

I used to take my 6 day care kids out for walks, but only had one that was in a stroller. The others all held onto 3 ropes that I had tied to the stroller. This ensured that they would most likely not dash across the street as we walked to our local swimming lake.

[TomInTib]

30. There is no family day care here.

And the nannies are usually with a single or a double, those women make the older ones walk.

I blame the parents.

[Maggie_May]

31. Thats a great story

My heart goes out to those of you that take care of our children. I also had a great daycare women who took excellent care of my little guy for a while. I really did prefer the in home daycare verse the bigger daycares. I often would say at her house if I got home from work early just to play with the kids in the back yard. It also was nice because she did live right next door. I did grow attached to the kids though. I recently had to move out of state and miss everyone of them.

[morningglory]

26. With gigantic pacifiers, and their heads lolled back. I bet they sit in front of

the tv all day with their heads lolled back and big pacifiers in their mouths.

[Staph]

36. I was at the grocery store today,

with my 83-year-old mother. We both commented on the parents (primarily moms alone, but some mothers and fathers together), shopping with 3 or 4 or 5-year-old kids in the shopping cart. Many were children too large to fit in the little seat that faces backward toward the pusher of the cart, so they are sitting where the groceries go. The parents can't be planning to buy much, because the kid takes up too much space.

Of course, these lazy butt children, who get too tired walking through Kroger, will also be the ones screaming at checkout for candy, candy, candy!

I think I'm getting old.

[Goblinmonger]

63. I get your point

but don't project quite so much onto the situation. My son, when that age, LOVED riding in the basket of the shopping carts. So I let him. He had a blast. He is in middle school now, is starting linebacker on the football team and won state wrestling last year. He is not a "lazy butt" child. Perhaps, just perhaps, there are more things going on within a family than you can understand in observing them for a couple minutes in Kroger.

[kiranon]

65. Please consider child may have special needs

If my autistic son didn't ride in the cart (he is 8), I wouldn't be able to shop for groceries. He looks like other children, but he is not at all like other children.

[HuckleB]

66. Yes, some do have special needs.

But what people are witnessing, in terms of older kids in strollers, is far more pervasive than just kids with special needs. And that may be creating more problems in terms of health and well being for kids in general.

[MrMickeysMom]

39. In fact a saw one of those double stroller when I was working today

It didn't hit me at the time, especially since the work setting I am in is sort of a hospital type of setting and these kids were part of a family visiting group. These double patient rooms are a bit cramped at times when folks stroll in with kids, but then you have to think that maybe it was a good way to separate the 4 or 5 year olds from the "sick", or let them nap or eat when the parents were visiting the sick.

Maybe the stroller crown is being targeted in the market specifically for puttin em in a stroller. It was probably a better thing for the 2 kids I saw today to be in them, but on the other hand, I never had recalled this 5 or 10 years ago,

[Colorado Progressive]

40. I see this on hiking trails a lot. Parents dont get much exercise

walking at the speed of a four year old, and kids cant hold out as long because their legs are shorter. Yesterday I saw a couple with the youngest in the backpack and the two older ones in a double Jeep stroller, hauling some serious ass. Both parents super fit and trim. At least the kids were out in nature and not planted in front of Spongebob.

We let our little one hike til she is exhausted, then throw her in the stroller or backpack.

[Warpy]

41. Yeah, it's bizarre, but kids that age get tired out quickly

during extended shopping trips and outings to parks, zoos and the like. When they get tired out, they get cranky and tend to regress in age linked behaviors. They're also very heavy to lug back to the car, or around the mall or park if the trip's not over yet.

I won't second guess parents who put the four year old in the stroller. They've probably got a pretty good reason.

[HuckleB]

59. The good reason for most is that it's for their convenience.

Too many parents don't want to take on the responsibilities of parenting anymore.

[Igel]

42. Convenient.

We have a 3-year-old who's decided he likes riding from time to time. But when he does, I'm always chasing him and telling him to stay close. "Hand" (command to hold hands with me) is the last recourse. I don't put him in a stroller; I hate the idea.

But I understand it. They're there. They're not going anywhere. "Sit" is a lot more concrete than "stay close". It's even worse when there are a lot of people around--then it's hand-holding only.

Plus I think people carry more. Check to see if they have bottled water, a purse, some sort of kiddie beverage ...

As for the kids acting immature ... that's what kids do. Sort of a tautology, that.

[WildClarySage]

48. WTF? How does it affect you?

Most parents with more than one young child know how scary and awful it is to be walking with your kids when one of them takes off running. What do you do with the other kid/s while you're chasing the runner? Or do you chase the runner at all? Forget scary crime, accidents happen even in crime-free Tiburon.

Since when do liberals and democrats persecute parents for doing what they deem best for their families? What does it matter to you? Why should someone else's parenting decisions be your business? Talk about holier than thou.

Sheesh.

[dropkickpa]

50. I don't own a car

So for me, the minute Dropkid was a good enough walker (about 1.5 years old), she walked everywhere. Lugging a stoller, even a small umbrella one, and kid onto a bus is a huge pain in the ass, never mind if you have bags or anything else with you. She has always had really good stamina because I made her walk. She can do the Kennywood (local amusement park) marathon from 10am-10pm no problem. She does fantastically in sports, not flagging 5 minutes into a soccer half like many of the kids on her team. We're poor, so we walk and take the bus, and she gets exercise.

I've seen a lot of the stroller kids at age 5, including a friend of mine. Her reasoning? "It's too hard to watch her when we're out, so I like her strapped down where I know she'll stay. It's too hard if I have a bag in my hand and someone calls. And I don't want to hold her hand all the time."
Laziness on the part of the parent. Holding your kids hand is that hard? Keeping an eye on them is so difficult? It's usually a parent or two and ONE child that I see doing this. My best friend has 5 kids aged 3, 6, 7, 9, and 13, and, unless they were babies, they walked. She's a single mom and never seemed to have too much of a problem watching all of them when they were out, so I don't buy that one either.

My parents did Disneyworld with me and 3 of my brothers, aged 1, 3 (me), 7 and 9, and only brought a stroller for my youngest brother at the time, the 1 year old. They managed just fine with me walking the whole time.

[leftyladyfrommo]

51. Nah - we used to pull them in wagons. Now you never even

see little red wagons any more.

[HuckleB]

55. We have a red wagon, though we almost never use it.

And I see them all over town, here in Portland.

[Silver Swan]

52. Memories?

I am 61 years old, but I have a very good memory.

I well remember being five or six years old and having to walk for hours with my parents while shopping or at the zoo, etc.

I remember that I was in pain. I would have loved to be in a stroller!

[FlaGranny]

53. I'm not sure about this. I can

still remember, as a child, that my feet used to be absolutely painful when I had to walk long distances or be on my feet a long time. They absolutely hurt to the point I would cry. I know my mother wished she had a stroller to push me around in at those times. My feet still, to this day, will hurt me like that if I don't wear good walking shoes and I have to be on my feet for any length of time - so you rarely see me in "fancy" shoes. My feet look perfectly normal. I'm not flat footed and have no deformities so I don't know the cause, but I sure can remember the pain. I doubt problems like this are the reason you see so many kids in strollers though. Kids do get tired and cranky during a long day, and it does seem sensible to me to prevent that. If a stroller helps, then why not? Sometimes we forget that little kids do not have the endurance of older kids or adults.

P.S. With my childhood memories I wouldn't think of forcing a child of 5 or less to be on his or her feet all day because for me, it was pure torture. It couldn't have been much worse if someone was beating me with a stick to keep me moving.

[HuckleB]

54. It certainly doesn't bode well for the rate of childhood obesity.

I see it, too. And now that I am a parent of a young one (20 months), it drives me nuts, as does the seemingly constant increase in the size of strollers.

We let our young one walk at his speed, as long as he wants to walk. Around the neighborhood, we carry him in our arms for the short while he needs to be carried when he doesn't want to walk. And guess what? In June, he walked a couple miles a day in NYC. When we go on hikes in the northwest, he does two to three miles of the hike himself.

He's not even two and he walks more than many of our neighbors's kids twice plus his age. It's not hard to help your kids be active, but our culture seems to encourage parents to keep them seated. I've been told by a few parents that the stroller is needed to get places "on time." I say that's hogwash.

[HuckleB]

60. Keeping the Family Fit

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10535655/site/newsweek/

Excerpt:

"Set them free.

Avoid “containerizing” little ones in strollers, car seats, bouncy chairs and other devices for too long. “Don’t restrain them in a swing, don’t restrain them in a car seat,” says Pat Vehrs, a Brigham Young University physiologist and fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine. “Put them under the swing and let them explore with toys. Let them use their arms and legs to move around rather than strap them in to a seat where they can’t use their body. You just want to develop their natural curiosity for physical activity and play.” In its guidelines for infants and toddlers, the National Association for Sport & Physical Education warns that confining little ones to strollers, play pens and car seats for hours may delay developmental milestones like rolling over, crawling and walking. The group recommends that toddlers not be sedentary for more than an hour at a time except when they’re sleeping. “Kids naturally exercise when they’re exploring their world through their bodies,” says Jane Schoenberg, co-author of the children’s book “My Bodyworks,” published by Crocodile Books in March."

And, in my opinion, this book is a must read for any parent today:
http://www.amazon.com/Last-Child-Woods-Children-Nature-Deficit/dp/1565123913

[electron_blue]

61. Yes, I have thoughts. I've done it and had my own reasons for it.

And before you judge my parenting skills, my daughter is capable of walking hours at a time, and does it routinely as we take long walks around our town. She's healthy and has motor skills ahead of her age group. When we're out in crowded places, though, she is often overwhelmed and it helped her when she was 3-4-5 yrs old to have a place she could go and sit for a while, and maybe suck her thumb (horrors!) before getting out and walking some more. When she was even younger, I took a sling and carried her when she wanted a little break from walking/running amongst the giants. As for it being hard to push a stroller, from the parent's point of view, I personally find it way easier to push a stroller than carry an exhausted, cranky and overwhelmed kid.

[FlaGranny]

67. Bad parent!!

"I personally find it way easier to push a stroller than carry an exhausted, cranky and overwhelmed kid."

You should be forcing that kid to walk no matter how tired she gets. She needs to be toughened up. Strollers are only for the use of bad parents who want their kids to be "soft."

:sarcasm:

Honestly, I believe some people feel that 5 year olds have the endurance of an adult. As a kid, I ran and played outside all day. There was no TV in my house until I was 9 years old. I still remember how miserably tired I got when I had to be on my feet all day on a trip to town shopping (no malls back then).

[AnneD]

68. I see way to many 'infantile' kids coming into kindergarten these days...

What do I mean by this.....kids that aren't functioning as independently as they should.

Kids that actually have a bowel movement in their pants routinely (when the bathroom is IN the classroom). I can see them accidental not making it to the bathroom in time to tinkle but to be a normal 6 yo and feel the urge to have a bm and ignore it? Talk about a health risk to the rest of the class.

I have had kids as old as 7 come out of my clinic bathroom and expect me to wipe their butts. I have even had parents confess that they did wipe their older kids butts. Once they are toilet trained-let them wipe their own ass. They won't do it right for a while, put be patient and let them learn, just soak their under ware.

And this whole larger pull ups for older kids? It is self defeating. Once the kids feel the discomfort of wet and go through the hassle of changing, they'll figure it out. The only exception to this would be wearing pull ups over night. Some kids sleep so soundly that they sleep through urges and wet their beds. Rather than go through the drama in the morning, pull ups make sense.

Bottles and pacifiers after 2-3 are unnecessary, They have hands and they can hold a sippie cup just fine. And for heaven's sake keep the coke and juice out of them. If they have to go to bed with one, fill it with warm water. When my daughter reached 2, I threw away all the bottles but one, told her it was the only one left and when it was gone, that was it. She transitioned fine. She never took to pacifiers-it it didn't have food coming out of it, she wasn't interested. She was able to comfort herself through her lovie or to come to a family member.

Strollers and shopping carts.....Once she was to heavy for me to comfortably pick up.....she walked, I did keep the stroller handy on long treks-but we only unfolded the umbrella stroller when she was exhausted (it held my purse and shopping bags until then.) I can see older autistic and other handicapped needing them-but that doesn't account for all the strollers I see.

I figured my job was to exhaust her so much that she was too tired to get into trouble and she would sleep great at night. I remember mom doing the same with all 4 of us. Kids need fresh air, sunshine, and plenty of exercise, as much as they need food, water, and education.

Kids need far more activity than they get now. Obesity is too common and our lifestyle is too sedentary for our own good. Life long habits are formed in childhood.

The end result is that I see too many pampered, spoiled kids and their 'entitled' parent helicoptering over them. You can't bubble wrap these kids from life. Independence doesn't come all at once-it is taken in little steps. Don't deprive them of taking these steps. And certainly don't deprive them from failing and learning from their failures. The hard won victories are the sweetest and most meaningful because they are real victories that test your mettle.

[JeanGrey]

70. Fantastic post and I agree with

you on every point! I also let my kids walk and kept an umbrella stroller handy if it was truly needed. My two boys were knee boarding behind our ski boat at five and six.

[jemappellesuzie]

69. honestly

it seems like a strange thing to be concerned about.