AIBU to make a child walk 4 miles?

[KindergartenKop]

I've just got a Fitbit and it measures how far I walk. I've been out a lot with 5 yo Ds this week and today and yesterday he walked 4 miles on both days. MIL thinks IABU. I reckon it's a healthy habit. AIBU?

Why would you be being unreasonable if dc isn't complaining about it? What can be unreasonable about it?

Have you just suddenly started walking everywhere because of the fitbit? If you and DC aren't used to walking then I could understand MIL worrying that you've dramatically increased your DC's exercise without gradually building up just because you've bought a new toy ie the fitbit

As long as he is wearing appropriate footwear, why would that be a problem? You would hear him if it's getting too much or painful.

People have got so lazy these days that a normal walk seem like a marathon. You just need to look at the chaos on the roads for the school run, most of the kids could walk.

If you tell my kids we are going to walk, they moan. If you tell them we are walking the dogs, they go on for hours. We are designed to be active, we are just lazy (talking as a group)

It will do you both good well done OP yadnbu

School is very close so he doesn't walk that far in the week, though I've been trying to go to the park after school instead of watching TV. He's not complaining so I assume he's fine. He's very enthusiastic about getting to 10,000 steps!

Another non driving Fitbit user here who likes putting the miles in. My kids don’t mind all the walking. If one complains we stop for a rest. I bought the eldest a Fitbit on request now and looking for a cheap little band for my son so he can see how many miles he does.

We went to Disneyland last year. My 4 and 5 year olds walked 6-7 miles every day for a week. They were fine.
We walk a lot as a family so they are used to it.

Walking is a healthy habit to get into. There are so many benefits to getting outdoors.

From reception my children walked a mile each way for school (youngest still does) back then I was told I was told by one Mum that I was cruel for making my 4.5 year walk “such a long way” (she drove her daughter the half mile to her school). That 4.5 year old is now 19 slim, fit and loves exercise including long family walks. That Mum now has a sedentary 20 year old who spent her secondary school years getting out of PE and now has health problems mainly due to her obesity.

I’m not saying that not walking to school will make a child obese on its own but our children learn good habits - exercise, eating, work ethic etc. - from childhood and they learn from our example....

My DD loves ‘beating’ my Fitbit stats and I’m thinking of getting DS one as well now. He would rather be on his PC but once he is out with us he walks for miles so with a little bit of competition he might get out even more.

My da always had a problem walking any distance, but no problem for running round an indoor play place or a park 😀 If he’s not complaining, do it!

My 5yo walks about 4 miles every day. If you take into account all the running around, skipping, dancing and so on as well, he probably does about 20 miles a day given he's never still

If we ever have to walk further, he will let me know in no uncertain terms once he gets tired or achey - there's no mistaking his grumpiness about it. So I say if your child is perfectly happy to do it, keep on doing it. So much healthier than just sitting in the back of the car.

It’s a pity more children don’t do likewise. It’s no great distance, to be honest. I did that regularly from 4 years old going to school (without an adult) or to the beach. Our own could happily walk that over the Lakeland fells from about 3 years old. They’d climbed Skiddaw by 5 and frequently went over Catbells and down into Grange from the Newlands at 3/4 years old. We rarely used a car on holidays.

and.....if more children walked from a young age the obesity crisis would disappear, they’d be less problems getting children to sleep, less aggressive boys, less constipation and fussy eating.

4 miles is an average paced hours walk.

What would she make of all the poor people with pots on their heads, a la Water Aid adverts, trudging for miles and miles and miles ?