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Original poster

Why are the mc & mc children more outdoorsy & sporty?

211 replies

Spaghettisavesmysoul · 09/11/2022 11:10

Following on from the umc lifestyle thread, I noticed many posts saying they were much more outdoorsy & sporty. Skiing is nearly a pre requisite & a silent class marker! The mc kids we know can all swim very, very well, cycling loads, hike, ski, play hockey, tennis & rugby.
Why is this? Is it from the schools they attend, parental aspirations or interests? The wc class kids I know (mine included) are not that way inclined whatsoever, outdoors consists more of freeplay as opposed to sports & my boys enjoy unstructured footie with their pals...

OP posts:
Suncreamweather · 01/06/2023 11:03

KweenieBeanz · 09/11/2022 11:44

And as another PP notes. Yes 'walking is free'..... But it doesn't hold quite the same appeal does it, to pound the pavements of a rough urban area with a few antisocial youths around. Doesn't quite fit the image of healthy outdoor pursuits like hill walking or tramping round a picturesque country lane with the odd horse passing by and birds in the trees!

🤣

Coffeepot72 · 01/06/2023 11:08

Just reading this thread, was in my watched threads for ages. It's true, around my area the middle class families are enjoying every second of the fine weather, biking, local playground, jogging, running, scooting, swimming.. They are all out & about. All these activities are relatively inexpensive, playground is free but it seems to be the mc families who really avail of the facilities... Just my observation.

@Suncreamweather I agree with your observation, 'getting outdoors' is as much to do with mindset as finances.

Paperlate · 01/06/2023 11:11

Plenty of kids on the park near me when it's a nice day in a very WC area. Games of footie and cricket, kids on bikes.Lots of kids on the tennis courts. Playground is full of kids.

So no I don't agree it's only MC parents who go out into the great outdoors.

Suncreamweather · 01/06/2023 11:13

@Paperlate it might be dependent on area as well... As I said upthread it was what I observed in my own area.. which is mixed demographic.

@Coffeepot72 definitely mindset!

bloodyeverlastinghell · 01/06/2023 14:25

Im definitely working class and my kids are sporty. I think I’m quite lucky that there are cheap options locally swimming lessons are £23. a month and includes unlimited swimming at all the local pools. Ballet is £4.50 a class. Rugby is £30 a year. Sailing I bought a £50 topper and taught them on the local loch. The kids prefer snowboarding, so again some second half kit and a just hang out at a decent local hill, sledging / snowboarding. They did have some this is how you fall over lessons beforehand.

You can do a lot if you are motivated for not a lot of cash. Nothing is free though.

MorrisZapp · 01/06/2023 14:36

Have you heard of football at all? My son plays it competitively and has games against teams from working class areas almost every week. The working class boys in his team are every bit as committed to travel, training etc as he is.

Once they reach secondary school age, teams want good players at any cost. If a player can do well then the team will do everything they can to facilitate their inclusion. The teams we know have great support amongst the parents, for instance I don't drive but I can usually get a lift if I need one.

It's tough on the ones who sit on the bench each week but it doesn't put them off because they're obsessive and they love it.

Suncreamweather · 01/06/2023 16:23

@MorrisZapp not all children have access to a nice green area nearby or a park to kick around in. The road we live on is away too dangerous to play near & gardens are post stamp sized, ok for toddlers but most kids in my estate have outgrown their gardens by primary school. And due to woeful planning we have no green space, park or playground. We walk to the park about 20 mins away which is on the doorstep of the wealthy road & they all make full use of it. And righly so.

Suncreamweather · 01/06/2023 20:23

FlounderingFruitcake · 09/11/2022 13:07

A lot of it is from school- swimming weekly from reception, tennis club after school from pre prep 1, hockey for girls and rugby for boys also from PP1. Extra tennis and swimming through the luxury gym or members club frequented by the parents. Skiing because the parents enjoy it and can afford it, plus the school ski trip when they get older.
I don’t know anyone that goes hiking though, maybe that’s because we live in London and it’s more of a countryside thing.

God... Our school like many posters above only offers bloody football nothing else!

workistoomuch · 01/06/2023 22:27

We had an aspiring to be middle class upbringing. Parents were poor but encouraged lots of reading (library every Saturday morning), no TV, and outdoor activities. Holidays were camping holidays with lots of swimming in lakes. Hiking and cycling. We had bikes from the local dump and did holidays where we cycled around with cheap tents in the panniers. My dad cycled to Italy on a bike that cost him a fiver! We all hated team sports and never did clubs or lessons in anything but still had a very outdoorsy upbringing. I also believe its attitude and not finances a lot of the time.
Partner grew up very poor in another European country and spent most of his childhood outdoors and barefoot!

Suncreamweather · 01/06/2023 22:35

@workistoomuch that sounds amazing! Good on your parents for their aspirations, sounds like you had a lovely childhood.

Suncreamweather · 02/06/2023 08:37

lovelypidgeon · 09/11/2022 13:39

I think it is to do with money, but more complicated than just the obvious costs of sports/outdoor activities- it's also about how enjoyable the cheap version is v the expensive version plus family perceptions of activities etc.

I live in an area that people visit from all over the world to go hiking and do other outdoors activities- from my town you could go for a days' hike in beautiful countryside without needing a car. The majority of MC families in the area would tell you that it's one of the reasons they choose to live here and they spend loads of time walking, camping, climbing etc. I also work with children in a fairly deprived part of the same town and hardly any of them go walking etc even though in theory it would be an easily affordable family day out. I think that one of the reasons is that the MC families always have the right equipment to be comfortable- good waterproof boots, breathable but waterproof coats etc. Walking in cheap trainers and a coat that's not properly waterproof or sweatily non-breathable is a very different experience. Plus the MC families will often stop off at a pub for a hot dinner on a chilly day and know that they can afford to get a taxi back/call a friend for a lift if the weather gets too bad. The same goes for camping- pretty cheap in theory but a weekend trying to self cater in a small cheap tent and cheap sleeping bags/mats is very different from camping with all the best equipment and the option to eat meals out. For a less well off family it's also quite an investment to pay for equipment, camp site fees, transport etc for a weekend camping where the weather could be very bad and they might all hate it. For a better off family it's not such a big part of their annual budget if it all goes wrong.

I suspect there's a similar issue in sports. A child with a family who can afford to pay for private coaching, the best equipment etc if their child shows an interest in a sport is likely to have a better experience than one who has an interest but can only go to busy free clubs and use borrowed equipment.

Reading through this thread & the cost of equipment is definitely a barrier. Mc camping is a completely different experience also, they have every sort of contraption to make the great outdoors as luxurious & comfortable as possible for themselves..

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