To feel forcing cross county on children can be counter productive in enjoying fitness

[rabbit12345]

Debate with my DH this morning . DH is a keen runner. He discovered his love of running two years ago after always being a big sedentary child/adult. He now runs 15k a day and loves running.

Today I gave DD a note (first time ever she is in year 9 and PE is a core GCSE subject at her school) so that she did not have to do cross country today. There was a good reason for her not to do it but DH thought I should be forceful in encouraging our daughter to take part.

I should say that we are a very active family. My DD in question dances 5 x a week for 2 hours a time.

My argument stems from my childhood. I remember having to run around a muddy school field in the freezing cold, gasping for breath (some girls were physically sick). You had the naturally sporty girls who would fly around the field and it only led to feeling more inferior and ultimately I ended up bunking off from the lesson or forging notes from my parents. I believe that this has led to a lifetime aversion to running. Every time I think I would like to try, I remember the muddy school field. In many ways I feel that being forced into it as a child, led to my general aversion to physical activity as an adult and it took me years to look at this differently and start finding activities that I loved.

So my argument is to encourage physical activity for the children but in areas that they love and not to worry if she decides that she does not enjoy running around a muddy field. (I told her to walk it if she wants) I feel by putting pressure on her could be counter-productive. I just feel health and fitness is so important and should be approached in an enjoyable way and I do not understand why the school do not make nutrition/lifestyle an important part of the lesson.

DH says that there are things in life you just have to do and we should take that view with DD. But surely this relates to paying bills etc. As an adult if she realises she does not have to do it then she will not if she has been forced through childhood. Surely it is better to educate a healthy lifestyle in it's entirety?

AIBU.

I actually didn't, rabbit.
It seemed to me like you were suggesting certain school subjects were simply a matter of choice...

Trifle Where have I implied that?

As I said I have no problem with XC when taught correctly. My own experience is that it is counter productive when not taught correctly.

The choice to continue would only come as an adult not in the school settings.

But as the point of PE is promote a healthy and active lifestyle surely it makes sense to teach activities such as XC in the correct manner. Sending children to a field and telling them to run is not teaching XC correctly IMO.

Maybe it just seemed like that to me, OP.

Which is why I asked...

I don't think anyone is able to differentiate between your idea of 'taught correctly' (are you a teacher?) and 'entirely a matter of choice' because you are completely failing to make that distinction. What do you mean?

I think the important thing is to introduce kids to a variety of sports, and some they will love and some they will hate.

Personally, I was not at all sporty at school. When it came to picking teams, I wasn't just last picked - when it got down to just me, the teams would start arguing over who's turn it was to pick, as they'd rather be a man down than stuck with me. I regularly "forgot" my kit and wrote lines instead (school were v lax on that) when we were doing volleyball, etc.

However... cross country was one of the very few things I did enjoy. I'm slow, but I can keep plodding on forever. I've since ran a marathon and done a triathlon, for example, but still despise all team sports.

So I think as long as there is good variety in PE lessons, then the odd thing that you hate is fine (though also, fine to skive off too now and again).

I am sorry trifle I do not understand your question.

Taught correctly would be to teach children breathing techniques, posture, stamina building, pace setting all of which is necessary to achieve a positive outcome for any distance running.

There is no choice there at all. DD's school states she must do it and I will not make excuses for her even if she asked me to (she didn't). The choice only comes as an adult when a person might decide that they "can't" run or "hate" running because of the school experience with XC

Hence the counter-productive point of XC at school.

I didn't understand what you felt was wrong with the way your daughter was being taught, that offers an adequate excuse for her not to take part. I do now. I also think not agreeing with a teaching method isn't good enough excuse unless you honestly fear she will be injured, and I don't think you do. You have focused more on her 'aversion' to the activity. Well, I have an aversion to copying out notes from a Biology textbook - I think I was taught that subject poorly. I still had to do it.

But presumably you knew how to copy that text out - you were physically able to write without causing pain or injury.

The better comparison would be asking someone with dyslexia to read out loud in front of the class.

Taught correctly would be to teach children breathing techniques, posture, stamina building, pace setting all of which is necessary to achieve a positive outcome for any distance running

You are assuming it's not taught correctly in all schools? We were taught techniques and breathing and pacing...so was my daughter and son. We weren't just set off on a run!
Practically, we can't teach all sports tailored to each individual child but yes, each sport should be taught with information regarding how to do it properly.
Don't just assume it's never taught that way.

are you really suggesting that we all have to agree with Kelly Holmes and Steve Redgrave as us mere mortals can't have an opinion?

Nope, just that as they've both spent years and years trying to promote sports for young people they're likely to have a bit more expertise than someone who hasn't. I don't think it's impossible that someone who hasn't won as many Olympic gold medals as them could have anything valid to add to the discussion. However, when said mere mortals start throwing around asinine remarks about wimps and sweating, one is left thinking that perhaps they don't know more than people who've devoted a considerable amount of time to promoting youth sports, and that just maybe it might be better to look elsewhere for wisdom...

HyacinthFuckit

Love your username.

Thanks!

You're moaning a lot OP but not explaining what you will do to make things better. Will you become an active fundraiser for The Youth Sport Trust, for instance?

Taught correctly would be to teach children breathing techniques, posture, stamina building, pace setting all of which is necessary to achieve a positive outcome for any distance running.

Is there scope for your keen running DH to teach your DD these things?

I have to admit I agree about limited value of what Kelly Holmes or Redgrave say. They are role models for kids with high potential. I don't know if they ever had experience of being an athletically ungifted person. We end up on a different path.

I've probably spent more time than either of them coaching youth sports tbh. I expect most 50+ committed parent volunteers have.

I worked at a school that had a swimming pool (very rare asset in state education). The reason given for the low take up of swimming by the girls was that there were no hairdryers. They refused point blank to wear swim hats (which do a pretty good job of keeping hair dry). So I have plenty of first hand experience of girls not giving sport a go for fairly depressing reasons. Actually the sweaty one is fair enough, it's not particularly nice working up a sweat and not being able to have a shower after.

it's not particularly nice working up a sweat and not being able to have a shower after

We had a shower room at school for after sports. We all HAD to shower afterwards and that is why many of the girls didn't want to do sports.
Having to stand naked in front of everyone else when you are going through puberty and feeling awkward is horrible. Girls who loved sport tried to get out of games because they couldn't face he showers..they would have preferred sitting in sweat all day.

Yes agree that was horrible. I seem to remember we had to get checked over by the gym mistress to double check We'd had a shower

You could get out of showers if yo had a period but still had to do the sport. The teacher kept a record because girls were claiming to have a period every week.

Oh God, the showers. Urgh. And the PE teacher who pulled the curtain back to make sure you were naked and showering.

That was grim.