Sports day shock

[Mrslarge24]

My children have recently had their sports days.
I have one very sporty child, and one that gets very anxious about anything sport-related and dreads sports day! Much like myself as a kid.
One sports day was for y3&y4, the other was for Y5 & y6.
I was amazed at the lack of general fitness in so many of the kids.
They had to do a "long-distance run" which was about 200m. A huge amount of them couldn't run it all and some didn't even make it half way before walking and panting.
My non-sporty one managed it fine, because although he doesn't enjoy much sport we do go for long walks, he plays in the garden alot and loves swimming with us so has a basic fitness level. Much like myself, I'm no fitness fanatic!
AIBU to think this is shocking to see children of this age not be able to run/jog 200m?!
i guess it's computers/iPads etc but at what point does a parent start to feel ashamed to have let their children get so unfit?!
Made me feel quite sad 😢

@PorpoiseWithPurpose also how is it better that they only use devices where you have no idea what they're doing/seeing??

Indeed, I’d suggest considering the same for you.

You’re missing the point, you would be able to run 400m and run it easily. “Running” doesn’t mean going hell for leather, which is how too many people interpret it. I do a lot of running events (ahem, too many 😂) and the paces have a huge range. What people think of as “running”, especially over something like 400m isn’t necessarily the same thing.

Yeah, like I said, good luck with that 😂

How do you propose to ban your teenagers from buying things with their own money, exactly? Just out of curiosity, of course.

I'm not missing the point, I genuinely wouldn't be able to run 400m - at any pace. I could easily power walk it, though.

You have a weird definition of "rude"!! The vast majority of parents didn't have any of that flexibility when mine were at school - maybe more do since Covid? It's a pretty reasonable conclusion based on my own lived experience, with friends, family and other school parents. I only had one friend who was a SAHM. All of my friends and family have had office/professional jobs of the more 9-5 variety, so I am only speaking from what I know!!

@brunettemic Perhaps you could choose words that convey the actual point you want to make, rather than expecting others, who have only the words you've chosen to write to extrapolate from, to guess at what you might have meant to express. Perhaps you could also not berate those who assume you meant to write the things you wrote, unless you actually want people to assume that the points you make aren't the points you wanted to make.

There are plenty of people who hold and express ableist views. If you're not one of them, that's great, enjoy your evening.

Stick to your guns, @PorpoiseWithPurpose

I’m a mum of two 16 year old twins. They don’t have phones or video games. It can be done.

We know several families in their class with the same rules. The push back against screens is becoming more common as people see (and studies prove) the damage it’s doing to children’s physical and mental health.

My teens spend their job money however they please. Our agreement is no phones while they live in our house.

They’re healthy, well-rounded teens who play competitive sport 3 nights a week, play instruments and regularly see their friends and partners.

Ignore those who claim it can’t be done or call you “deluded”. They’ve got their hackles up because their children can’t run 200m…...

IF this is even true, you are making your kids massively different to their peers, and at that age, most teens want to fit in.

It is deluded, and it's unfair. But you do you. I wouldn't rest on your laurels yet. They haven't reached adulthood yet and maybe when they do escape your controlling clutches, the won't come back.

My three children were also healthy, well-rounded teens who while I concede they weren't sporty (nothing wrong with that either - they did other activities) also played instruments, achieved highly in their chosen hobbies, with two of them graduates with postgrads under their belts too, and the third halfway through their undergrad. So I think we've done ok with age-appropriate screens and tech.

I feel sorry for your children.

Genuine question, why do you keep calling those who dare to parent differently to you, “controlling” and whining that you “feel sorry” for their children?

Quit your concern trolling.

Maybe you, and others like you, could try to take things less personally! Honestly, whatever comment is made there is a chorus of but, but, but .........

It's perfectly clear what posters mean and that obviously it is not relevant to every single person. This constant sniping is just boring.

If that was addressed at me, then I am speaking from many years of experience as a parent, and the experience of my family and friends as parents, and yes, I think you are controlling, and yes, I also think it will come back to bite you on the arse. If you don't want comments made on your unusual version of parenting, then I suggest you don't post. I do feel sorry for your children as you are making them stand out by being different to their peers, but if you can't see that for yourself, who am I to try to tell you!!!

BTW I did not "whine". I expressed my opinion, as I am entitled to do. I fundamentally disagree with you, but see where it takes you. Neither am I "trolling"!! It's clear that you can't handle any opinion different to your own, so you have to lash out. So rude!

I read your posts in a Donald Trump voice.

Bully for you. I couldn't be more different if I tried.

I've read yours in disbelief.

I think your both saying the same thing.

Most kids only have one pace, hell for leather, its no surprise that a fair chunk couldn't keep it going for 200m.

@ForGreyKoala Things are perfectly clear when the words people write express the point they want to make. If people write one thing and, when challenged, say they meant a different thing, then their original statement wasn't perfectly clear, was it? In this case, the person who wrote the words indicated when challenged that they'd intended to communicate something different from what they actually wrote.

In my area, primary schools start the day by taking all children on a 2 mile walk. This is a solution but there may be others.

I'd start by having decent no parking zones around every primary school at drop off and pick up time (with exemptions for blue badge holders).

It's madness how many parents try and get as close to the school gates as possible, arriving as early as possible (so clearly time is not the issue) and then leaving their engines turning over chucking out fumes for 30-40 minutes at a time. Then they all get stuck in the post school run carnage of cars not being able to move. And most of them live less than a mile from school!

We are in England and my son runs during playtime - he often brags to us how many laps of the fitness trail he managed to complete. Running is his thing, but as a family we’re all sporty. I’m really conscious of maintaining that so the kids grow up with good habits and seeing this as the norm,

Our primary school doesn't allow balls, in case they go over the fences into a main road, a side road or the estate behind .

I remember a lot of ball playing when I was a child. The schools were smaller and the playgrounds, fields bigger. We'd take in balls of all sizes, skipping ropes, french elastic. We had monkey bars, a stream at the edge of the field, trees. We did our cycling proficiency in the school grounds. Our assembly/lunch hall was also a gym.

The primary schools here still use balls - I often pick them up off the street and throw them back over the fence for the two near me!

I am not saying it should not be multifaceted. But it has to start with the parents.

I think some schools are still like this, our school is an old building and it has a field for football, bike/ running track, trim trail (monkey bars / lots of climbing equipment) lots of big old trees which are good for shade and a den building area. An orchard and a kitchen garden.

I drive past a school on the way to work and their playground is a concrete rectangle with high fences, I asked some parents if there were more to it but no. I do think children need nature. It’s very calming, must be hard to teach children who don’t have the opportunity to decompress at breaks.

This is so important. And not just at primary. This is one of the things I dislike about Michaela School. Being an old office block there's nowhere near enough outside/green space.

Astonished that schools are only doing PE twice a week!
When I taught, my Primary school had every class doing P E every single day. A wide variety of activitiesdesigned to be fun, suiting all abilities with constant movement, no hanging around in queues allowed.
Climbing frames, a slide, balance beams & a wooden fort plus balls & skipping ropes available at playtimes.
Not one child came to school by car, all walked.
200m wouldn't be considered at all "long distance '.
But this was in the '80s.
How times change!