AIBU to take our DDs on a long walk?

[Joolsy]

OK it was a lovely warm day today so OH decided it would be nice to do one of the walks in our book (1st time). It turned out to be quite steep uphill for 2 miles but with breathtaking views from the top. It was then a long, slow decline back for another 2 miles. Both DDs were crying on the way up as it was hot & they said their legs were aching. I quite enjoyed it myself - I just like getting out in the fresh air & getting some exercise. But I feel a bit guilty that we made them do this walk when they'd rather be doing something 'fun' and there probably wasn't much in it for them. AIBU to feel like this?

It's not really encouraging a healthy attitude to walking if they are crying and it takes 2.5 hours. DD will walk miles but she enjoys it and if she stops enjoying it, we sit, carry her or turn back early.

My parents entirely turned me off this kind of thing by dragging me and my brother over hill and dale in the burning sun. Fun for them, not for us.

As others have said, depends on age.

DS is 7 and we've walked about 3 miles today. With stops along the way. He was fine though we do pass the time playing silly games

How the fuck did you get a crying child to keep walking mine just sits down and refuses to move any further.

I don't think its a long way for a child but it would be for a two year old

This week my 6 year old has walked 3 miles twice and 4 miles. I would have been happy for him to walk further

If they're toddlers, then make sure you have the means for them to not have to walk, if they get tired and break the day up with lots of rests. If older, then they clearly need the practice (and still plenty of rests on the uphill stretches)!

Do make sure they have good shoes, though. That makes a world of difference to walking stamina for anyone.

We've often taken our DS on walks and no, he didn't like them much of the time but children need to learn that life does not revolve around them and adults don't always want to go to a park/soft play/theme park/whatever. We have been lucky in that we've lived in lovely places - near the sea/forests/castles etc and yes, we dragged our DS out on walks for years . Finally he is a teenager so we can leave him at home when we go for a walk!

I meant for little ones cardi I need the incentive of a nice pub at the end still!

Depends on the age of the children, and how you approached the walk.

The distance/you describe would be a nice weekend day out for us. We are a big walky family, we didn't have a car for ages so DD was used to walking short distances from she was very small, and we always went for good rambles in the woods/at the beach. This year, aged 7, she climbed her first mountain. It took us about 8 hours, but she didn't moan once and practically ran up it- however we had lots of short breaks for paddling/exploring, brought our lunch, plenty of water and snacks.Then when we got back down, we got fish and chips and ate them on the sea wall. She had an absolute ball.

However, we have been walking for 20 minutes through a town before, and she has moaned, simply because we've had to get from A to B ASAP, and she is tired/hungry. You have to make it fun for them. I don't know any child who doesn't want to climb a few lovely, smooth rocks in a mountain stream, or nip off the trail to climb a few trees. But you can't expect them to climb or hike like an adult- it will be boring for them

YABU

I'm a mad keen exerciser and I wouldn't want to climb 2.5 hours up a hill in this hot weather!

the view was probably totally wasted on them as well. if they were crying I think you have your answer.

sounds like a way to put them off being active, not encourage it!

2.5 miles, sorry not hours!

Depends entirely on the ages of the children, how hot it was, what they had on their feet, how steep 'quite steep' was, and how much walking they are used too.

I usually have snacks and picnics to break it up

I was bought up with long walk loving parents.

I hated it. It's just something I find very little enjoyment in doing. My parents idea of trying to make me enjoy it was to insist I came even when there was a good option to stay behind, and to tell me how much fun we were having.

The more I went, the more. I hated it, and the more an oddment in the family I felt.

Result is I will never choose to go for a walk for a walk's sake.

I don't think dragging children out so they're crying will do anything except make them hate it.

Posted too soon.

I did a competitive sport 3-6 times a week, so it wasn't that I didn't exercise either.

Sorry everyone, I should have said in my op that they are nearly 12 and 6.5. Dd1 is particularly lazy and moans about walking anywhere! It wasn't real crying, just very whingey "I can't walk anymore!" I should also add that it would have taken oh and I about 90 mins but we slowed down for Dd2. It's not something we're going to make a habit of doing & next time I'll make sure there's a park/cafe en route! Thanks for all your replies

I chivvy mine out with snacks as a minimum & promise of ice cream if very long walk (like today).

Honestly I would make a habit of it. They winge because they dont like walking - are they driven most places?

Friends of ours are hillwalkers and their kids have been going along from a young age. Their rules is they can eat as much chocolate as they want on hikes - tasty and gives them the energy. Now they are both early teens and climb mountains with their parents.

12 and 6.5?? I wouldn't be making sure there was a cafe and things next time. They are plenty old enough to walk for a couple of hours.
Mine cam be whingy they are 11, 9 and just turned 5 but they can and will walk. Bet if it was a day at a theme park or somewhere they thought was more exciting they'd walk for way more than that.

Just pack drinks and a packed lunch and keep doing it. It's great for them and will eventually hopefully nurture a love of the great outdoors.

Bear in mind that if they are smaller than an adult they have to take more steps to cover the same distance, so it seems like a longer walk to their bodies. Similarly, they have more surface area to volume, so they feel extremes of temperature more acutely.
Also bear in mind that they are unlikely to care about views or the novelty of being outside for it's own sake (they get put outside multiple times a day at school when you are stuck in an office looking through a window at outside).
Also bear in mind that you have full knowledge of and control over the route, they are basically obliged to follow you wherever you go for their own survival, no matter how uncomfortable the terrain and longwinded the plan. Being stuck in the situation with no escape option and having to walk forward or be abandoned at the whim of someone else for several hours isn't as fun as walking as an adult!
This all assumes that there is no 'motivating' rounding down of distance/time to go which then mucks up self-pacing, or false promises of ice-cream at the end which never happen, etc.

Yes, make a habit of it and they will get used to it and start enjoying it more.

My dses climbed snowdon up and down at 8 and 10. Before that we didn't do long walks with them much but we all got the bug and have walked loads since.

I would say that a 6 year old could do 3-4 hilly miles without too much difficulty. The 12 year old could go on all day if they wanted to

We are currently on holiday in the Lake District and walking an average of 6 miles a day with 11 and 12 year old dses. We'll be doing 10 miles when we climb Scafell Pike. And these are properly hilly routes. On the flat they could do more than 10 miles with a picnic and stops, easily.